UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


I'KKI)  M.  1»KV 
nnnn«RLLEI 


CAPT.  GEORGE  COFFIN. 


A  |It0tt?*r  Unyag? 


to 


California 


and 


Round  the  World 


1849  to  1852 


Ship  Alhambra 
Captain  George  Coffin 


Copyrighted  by 

GORHAM   B.   COFFIN. 

Chicago,  111. 

June,  1908. 


:^-.- 


C6  5+-I*/ 


FOREWORD. 


>{£  In  publishing  this  work   I  take  pleasure  in   submitting  the 

^  following  brief  explanation:     The  author,  Capt.  George  Coffin, 

J  is  my   father.     Since  his  death  the  original  manuscript  in  his 

-3 


CO 

CO 


own  handwriting  has  come  into  my  possession,  and  no  copy  has 

previously  existed.    In  view  of  its  great  interest  to  all  his  family 

■"^   (of  whom  there  are  now  many  members)  and  as  a  tribute  to 

;*   his  noble  life  and  great  qualities  of  heart  and  mind,  and  believ- 

em 

— '  ing  that  the  reading  world  are  ever  seeking  light  and  knowledge, 

^e   I  deem  its  publication  justified.     In  this  spirit  I  offer  it  to  the 
S 

family  and  friends  and  to  all  those  who  may  choose  to  read  it, 

hoping  that  they  will  find  in  its  pages  some  hitherto  unrecorded 

historical  events.  Sincerely, 

Gorham  B.  Coffin. 
Chicago,  July  15,  1908. 


274479 


PREFACE. 


Having  been,  by  the  decree  of  fate,  the  freaks  of  fortune,  the 
force  of  circumstances,  the  destiny  of  my  horoscope,  or  by  some 
other  unseen  influence,  called  or  sent,  drawn  or  driven  at  an 
advanced  age,  to  wander  'round  the  globe,  and  to  spend  four 
years  far  away  from  my  family,  during  which  time,  I  have  been 
in  a  peculiar  manner  the  sport  and  football  of  some  or  all  the 
agencies  I  have  named, — I  have  now,  while  on  my  way  home,  and 
daily  drawing  nearer  to  my  native  land,  thought  to  employ  some 
of  my  leisure  hours  at  sea,  in  recording  some  of  my  experience. 
I  am  doing  this  partly  to  amuse  myself,  but  chiefly  because  I  be- 
lieve my  journal  will  be  interesting  to  the  members  of  my  family, 
for  whose  information  and  amusement  I  am  bound  to  contribute 
all  in  my  power,  and  to  the  head  of  which,  my  well  beloved  wife, 
this  book  is  affectionately  dedicated,  as  a  feeble  token  of  my 
estimation  of  her  many  virtues. 

This  record  is  drawn  up  partly  from  recollection  and  partly 
from  notes  and  memoranda  taken  "en  passant,"  but  now  when 
1  look  back  on  what  has  passed,  it  appears  to  me  to  have  been 
a  trance,  a  wonderful  dream,  a  something  unreal,  a  great  blank 
in  my  existence. 

I  fancy  this  book  will  be  kept  as  an  heirloom  in  my  family, 
and  I  here  charge  my  children  never  to  give  away  to  despond- 
ency under  misfortune.  Should  you  be  called  to  encounter  dis- 
appointment and  losses,  remember  your  Grandfather  and  your 
Father ;  be  honest,  be  firm,  be  resolute.  Hope  now,  hope  always ; 
reflect  that  all  things  are  under  the  direction  of  a  Supreme  Being, 
who  "doeth  all  things  well,"  and  in  the  darkest  hour  seek  con- 
solation in  that  reflection. 

Should  these  pages  pass  in  review  of  other  eyes,  I  trust  they 
will  look  with  favour  on  the  simplicity  of  the  style,  remembering 
that  it  is  intended  only  as  a  family  souvenir. 


^^^^0^^^^ 


A  PIONEER  VOYAGE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

On  the  fifth  day  of  February,  1849,  I  arrived  at  New  Orleans 
in  command  of  the  fine  ship  Ocean  Queen  of  Newburyport  from 
Liverpool,  having  on  board  three  hundred  and  fifty  steerage  pas- 
sengers, chiefly  Irish  emigrants.  The  passage  had  been  long 
and  the  first  part  of  it  exceedingly  boisterous,  and  I  had  been 
obliged  to  put  in  at  Fayal  to  replenish  my  stock  of  provisions 
and  water. 

Fayal  is  the  chief  commercial  island  of  the  Azores,  the  town 
Aorta  is  situated  in  a  cove  on  its  eastern  side  and  opposite  to 
the  Island  of  Pico,  with  its  peak  rising  in  a  cone  to  the  height 
of  7,000  feet,  its  apex,  covered  with  snow  sometimes,  seen  rising 
towering  in  the  clear  atmosphere  above  the  clouds,  and  visible  at 
the  distance  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  The  passage  between 
the  islands  is  about  five  miles  wide  and  ten  long. 

I  passed  in  at  the  northern  entrance,  and  as  I  opened  out 
the  town,  I  was  accosted  by  the  captain  of  the  port,  who  had 
come  off  in  his  barge  to  waylay  me.  As  soon  as  I  came  within 
hail,  he  raised  a  speaking  trumpet  as  long  as  the  royal  yard,  and 
bellowed  out,  in  broken  English,  "Ship  hoy,  what  ship  that, 
where  come  from,  and  where  bound  to,  how  long  been  out,  and 
what  for  come  here?"  To  all  this  I  replied  in  one  breath,  "Ship 
Ocean  Queen,  from  Liverpool  for  New  Orleans,  twenty-nine  days 
out,  put  in  for  water." 

At  the  word,  Liverpool,  he  brandished  his  long  trumpet,  and 
in  a  very  excited  tone,  screamed  out,  "No  ankly  here,  Liverpool 
got  cholera,  no  posseeble  ankly  here,  go  way,  go  way."  Now  I 
had  taken  in  sail,  preparatory  to  coming  to  anchor,  but  it  was  in 
vain  I  represented  to  this  important  functionary  my  distressed 
situation,  and  assured  him  that  we  were  all  well  on  board ;  to  all 
I  could  say,  the  only  reply  was,  "Go  way,  no  posseebly  ankly 
here,  go  way." 

7 


8  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

Now,  I  had  determined  to  anchor  in  spite  of  the  long  trumpet, 
but  while  this  colloquy  was  going  on,  the  ship  had  drifted  off 
the  bank,  so  that  I  could  not  anchor.  I  then  showed  a  signal  of 
distress,  and  the  American  Consul  sent  off  his  barge  for  informa- 
tion, and  through  his  influence  (which  I  afterwards  learned  was 
tantamount  to  that  of  the  Governor),  I  was  permitted  to  anchor 
on  the  edge  of  the  bank,  in  thirty  fathoms. 

He  sent  off  what  I  wanted  in  a  large  open  lighter,  which  was 
anchored  a  cable's  length  to  windward  of  the  ship,  and  the  crew 
left  her  and  went  on  shore.  I  then  sent  a  crew  and  brought  the 
lighter  alongside,  and  after  discharging  her,  we  placed  her  at 
her  moorings  again,  and  left  her,  and  made  a  signal,  and  the 
men  came  from  the  town  and  took  her  away.  The  Consul  then 
sent  his  clerk  off  in  his  private  barge  (guarded  by  two  quar- 
antine officers),  with  my  account. 

They  came  within  about  fifteen  feet  of  the  ship's  gangway, 
and  reached  my  bill  attached  to  a  long  pole.  I  affixed  to  the 
end  of  the  pole  my  draft  and  my  letters,  which  they  dipped  three 
times  into  the  sea,  and  then  with  a  pair  of  tongs  deposited  them 
in  a  tin  box  which  was  locked  by  one  of  the  guards  with  a 
polished  brass  padlock,  bearing  the  imprint  of  the  royal  arms  of 
Portugal.  On  shore  at  the  "lazaretto"  these  "dangerous"  papers 
were  purified  by  fumigation  with  sulphur,  before  they  could  be 
touched  by  human  hands.  This  is  an  example  of  the  quarantine 
regulations  of  Portugal,  Spain  and  the  ports  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean. 

Having  accomplished  my  purpose  in  coming  here,  I  got  under- 
way, and  proceeded  out  by  the  southern  passage,  the  wind  was 
southerly,  and  almost  immediately  came  on  to  blow  a  severe 
gale,  which  brought  us  down  to  close  reefed  sails.  I  placed  the 
ship's  head  to  the  westward,  the  sea  increased,  and  I  did  but 
just  clear  the  southwest  point  of  Fayal  at  midnight;  and  at 
daylight  the  next  morning,  the  island  bore  southeast  ten  miles 
distant. 

The  wind  had  now  veered  to  the  west,  and  I  bore  up  and 
passed  once  more  down  through  the  Fayal  passage,  and  as  I 
came  opposite  the  town,  I  found  my  friend,  the  Port  Captain 
of  the  port  at  his  post,  and  again  the  long  trumpet  was  pointed 


TRADE   WINDS  9 

at  me,  and  again  I  was  saluted  with  "Ship  hoy,  what  ship  that, 
where  come  from,  where  bound  to,  how  many  days  been  out,  and 
what  for  come  here?"  To  which  I  answered,  "Boo,  boo,  boo, 
boo!" 

Question:  "That  the  same  ship  here  yesterday?"  "Don't 
you  see  it  is?"  said  I. 

Question :  "What  for  come  back  again,  what  you  want  now  ?" 
Answer:   "All  I  want  is  to  get  clear  of  your island." 

He  then  waved  his  elongated  speaking  tube  and  bid  me 
"Adios,  Senor  Capitan,  bon  viage."  "Goodbye,  Senor,"  said  I, 
and  pushed  on  to  the  south  to  get  into  the  region  of  the  trade 
winds.  On  the  first  day  of  January,  1849,  I  got  tne  trades  in 
Lat.  27 °,  which  continued  to  blow  steadily  but  lightly  the  re- 
mainder of  the  passage.  I  then  passed  down  between  St.  Dom- 
ingo and  Cuba  and  round  Cape  Antonio,  January  29th. 

We  turned  Cape  Antonio,  the  west  end  of  Cuba,  the  cur- 
rent setting  strong  to  the  eastward  against  the  regular  trade 
wind,  which  was  blowing  strong,  caused  a  short  high  sea  and  set 
the  ship  rolling  and  pitching  violently.  An  Irishman  was  pass- 
ing from  the  cooking  range  to  the  hatchway  ladder,  with  his 
dish  of  oatmeal  gruel  in  one  hand  and  a  tin  pot  of  coffee  in  the 
other,  when  a  sudden  lurch  threw  him  into  the  lee  scupper  and  he 
brought  up  with  great  force,  with  his  head  against  the  waterway, 
where  he  lay  partially  stunned  for  a  moment.  On  gathering 
himself  up  he  bellowed  out,  "Och,  by  the  powers,  but  I've 
mashed  me  nose  so  that  I  cannot  hear." 

His  nose  had  come  in  contact  with  a  ring  bolt  and  peeled  the 
skin  off  from  one  side  of  it.  I  persuaded  him  to  let  me  bathe 
it  with  friar's  balsam.  On  the  first  application,  he  leaped  half 
a  rod,  screaming  out  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  "Och  hone,  yer 
honer's  worship,  but  that's  the  divil's  own  intment  sure,  it  makes 
me  nose  smart  so  that  I  cannot  see."  So,  as  Paddy  both  sees  and 
hears  with  his  nose,  that  important  member  must  not  be  neg- 
lected, and  the  surgeon  turned  back  the  torn  skin,  and  with 
plastering  and  poulticing  soon  made  it  all  right  again. 

Then  a  northwest  course  of  four  hundred  miles  brought  me  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  On  crossing  the  bar  at  the  south- 
west pass,  in  tow  of  a  powerful  steam  tug,  the  ship  took  a  rank 
sheer,  the  steamer  cast  us  off,  and   we  ran  with  great   force 


10  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

stem  on  to  the  ship  Adirondack,  Capt.  Gillespie,  which  vessel  was 
lying  aground  on  the  bar,  carrying  away  her  mizzen  mast,  and 
smashing  her  quarter  boat,  and  breaking  in  her  quarter  and  deck 
cabin,  also  breaking  our  starboard  anchor  stock  and  carrying 
away  our  fore  yard  and  jib  boom.  Fortunately  no  one  was 
injured,  although  the  pilot  had  sent  all  the  passengers  forward 
to  trim  the  ship.  Not  a  word  was  spoken  and  I  noticed  that 
just  before  the  collision  Capt.  Gillespie  darted  into  his  cabin  and 
I  saw  no  more  of  him.  We  soon  swung  clear,  and  proceeded 
on  up  the  river. 

I  found  Capt.  Henry  Shoof  at  New  Orleans,  he  had  come  on 
to  relieve  me  in  command,  he  being  part  owner,  and  my  term 
of  service  having  expired.  As  I  was  about  leaving  for  home, 
I  received  an  application  to  take  command  of  a  ship  about  to 
be  fitted  out  for  California  with  freight  and  passengers.  At  first 
I  peremptorily  declined,  but  on  reflection  I  considered  it  my  duty 
to  accept  the  situation,  and  I  made  a  proposition  to  the  agent 
which  was  at  once  accepted,  and  I  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
old  ship  Alhambra  with  a  carte  blanche  to  put  her  in  condition 
for  the  voyage,  and  to  fit  her  for  two  hundred  passengers. 

I  found  her  completely  run  out  in  tackle  and  apparel,  and 
rotten  fore  and  aft,  and  it  was  necessary  to  put  her  in  dock  and 
recopper,  and  it  cost  $10,000  to  make  her  fit  for  the  voyage.  I 
had  her  cleared  of  every  obstruction  between  decks,  and  a  range 
of  double  staterooms  built  on  both  sides.  Between  the  fore  and 
main  masts  was  a  tier  of  wide  sleeping  berths,  and  between  the 
main  and  mizzen  masts  were  four  long  tables.  In  every  state- 
room was  a  patent  side  light  and  ventilator,  and  a  large  draft 
hole  was  cut  in  each  bow. 

On  the  starboard  quarter  was  a  large  room  for  the  surgeon, 
and  on  the  larboard  quarter  was  the  pantry,  across  the  stern 
were  shelves  for  dishes,  with  six  large  windows  opening  be- 
tween. Across  the  bows  was  a  range  of  wash  basins,  and  around 
the  luff  of  the  bows  were  sleeping  berths  for  the  cook  and 
stewards.  Every  stateroom  was  furnished  with  new  mattresses, 
linen  and  blankets,  and  an  abundance  of  spare  bedding  filled  a 
large  clothes-chest,  fitted  up  near  the  pumproom.  Everything 
was  done  and  furnished  that  I  could  think  of,  to  make  passen- 
gers comfortable. 


PLAN  OF   BERTH  DECK.  SHIP  "ALHAMBRA." 
By  Captain  George  Coffin. 


GETTING    PASSENGERS  n 

On  the  20th  March,  she  was  finished  and  taken  to  her  loading 
berth  at  La  Fayette,  where  she  was  visited  by  a  great  number 
of  people,  among  them  by  the  editors  of  the  city  newspapers, 
who  all  published  commendatory  articles. 

A  considerable  number  of  passengers  were  already  engaged, 
and  were  allowed  to  come  on  board  and  live  free  of  expense,  and 
as  fast  as  others  secured  a  passage  ticket,  they  were  allowed  the 
same  privilege.  But  early  in  April  the  cholera  broke  out  at 
New  Orleans,  and  the  reports  that  were  sent  up  the  river  de- 
terred persons  intending  to  emigrate  to  California  from  coming 
down  to  the  city,  and  they  went  by  the  overland  route. 

A  party  of  four  had  come  from  Kentucky,  and  taken  up  their 
quarters  on  board  with  me.  The  first  night  on  board  the  head 
of  this  party,  an  elderly  gentleman,  was  seized  with  cholera  at 
9  p.  m.  I  went  for  a  physician,  who  gave  him  some  medicine, 
and  said  he  would  do  very  well.  Towards  midnight  his  symp- 
toms grew  alarming.  I  went  again  for  the  doctor,  and  after  a 
great  deal  of  persuasion,  he  roused  out  and  went  with  me,  and 
we  got  on  board  just  as  the  old  gentleman  drew  his  last  breath, 
and  the  only  service  the  doctor  could  render  was  to  show  me  the 
way  to  an  undertaker. 

I  was  sensible  of  the  importance  of  keeping  this  matter  secret 
if  possible,  and  before  the  sun  rose,  the  mortal  remains  of  the 
poor  old  man  were  laid  in  their  last  resting  place,  far  away  from 
the  family  he  had  so  lately  left,  full  of  hope  for  the  future. 
Some  of  the  passengers  on  board,  who  had  retired  early,  knew 
nothing  of  this  till  they  were  summoned  to  breakfast. 

But  my  attempts  at  secrecy  were  unavailing,  it  soon  became 
noised  about  that  we  had  the  cholera  on  board,  and  an  end  was 
put  to  our  expectations  as  to  passengers,  and  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  that  I  could  get  labourers  to  finish  stowing  my  cargo. 

On  the  13th  day  of  April  I  left  the  levee  with  the  assistance 
of  a  steam  tug.  A  large  crowd  of  spectators  thronged  the  levee : 
among  them  I  noticed  a  lady  dressed  in  black,  who  seemed  to  be 
beckoning  to  me  to  come  on  shore.  Not  being  aware  of  any 
lady  having  any  claims  upon  me,  I  hesitated,  till  a  gentleman 
(Capt.  Welsh),  told  me  she  was  a  Mrs.  Jones,  who  desired  to 
speak  to  me.     I  went  on  to  the  levee  and  she  appeared  to  be  in 


I2  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

great  distress  on  account  of  an  unruly  son,  whom  she  had  per- 
suaded the  agent  to  take  as  a  passenger  at  half  price,  to  get  rid 
of  him.  She  said  he  was  the  son  of  her  first  husband  (Daven- 
port), that  he  had  been  married,  and  that  his  dissipated  conduct 
had  caused  the  death  of  his  wife,  leaving  two  young  children  for 
her  to  support,  as  well  as  the  worthless  father.  She  gave  me 
five  half-eagles  to  give  to  him  in  San  Francisco,  and  begged 
me  not  on  any  account  to  give  him  any  of  it  at  any  place  I  might 
stop  at.  I  have  been  thus  particular  as  to  this  Mr.  Davenport, 
as  he  is  to  figure  again  in  this  journal. 

At  noon  as  we  cast  off  from  the  levee,  in  tow  of  a  steam 
tug,  the  bow  hawser  got  entangled  with  a  tier  of  flat  boats,  broke 
them  all  adrift,  and  they  went  driving  down  stream,  and  brought 
up  in  a  mess  across  the  bows  of  a  tier  of  ships  below.  This 
accident  caused  delay  in  rounding  the  ship,  and  she  drove  fast 
into  the  mud  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river.  After  half  an 
hour  of  blowing  and  snorting,  the  steamer  tugged  us  off  again, 
and  we  came  to  an  anchor  at  Slaughterhouse  Point,  where  some 
friends  of  Mr.  Sam  Moss,  Jr.  (supercargo)  took  their  leave. 

At  6  p.  m.  started  again,  and  proceeded  rapidly  down  the 
river.  About  9  p.  m.  as  I  was  sitting  in  my  cabin  ruminating 
upon  my  situation  and  thinking  of  the  dear  family  that  I  was, 
as  it  seemed,  abandoning,  I  was  startled  by  the  rough  voice  of 
the  captain  of  the  steamer  bawling  out,  "Hard  a  starboard !"  and 
directly  afterwards  screaming  out,  "Hard  a  port !"  I  ran  out  on 
deck  just  in  time  to  see  the  ship  run  stem  on  to  a  schooner  that 
was  lying  at  anchor  in  the  river.  The  crew  of  the  schooner 
seized  hold  of  the  ship's  bobstays,  and  saved  themselves,  but  the 
captain,  who  had  turned  in,  had  but  just  time  to  jump  in  his 
nightdress,  into  his  boat,  which  fortunately  was  towing  along- 
side, when  his  vessel  rolled  down  upon  her  side,  and  sank  beneath 
the  murky  Mississippi. 

This  disaster  was  caused  by  the  vacillating  management  of 
the  commander  of  the  steamer;  when  the  schooner  was  first 
seen,  a  slight  sheer  to  either  side  would  have  carried  us  clear  of 
her,  but  having  put  the  helm  to  starboard,  and  then  just  as  the 
rudders  began  to  act  in  full  power,  then  suddenly  to  reverse  them, 
any  greenhorn  ought  to  have  foreseen  the  consequence.     Self- 


DOWN  THE  RIVER  13 

possession,  prompt  and  steady  action,  are  very  necessary  qualifi- 
cations in  a  shipmaster,  and  especially  so  for  the  captain  of  a 
Mississippi  steamboat. 

The  next  morning  when  about  to  cross  the  bar  with  a  strong 
breeze  from  the  northwest,  smoke  was  seen  to  issue  from  a  crack 
in  the  head  of  the  mainmast.  I  directed  the  captain  of  the 
steamer  to  come  to  anchor,  and  it  was  an  hour  before  we  could 
get  at  and  extinguish  the  fire.  A  spark  from  the  steamer's 
chimney  had  found  its  way  into  an  opening  between  the  mast 
and  trestle  tree,  and  had  ignited;  it  was  at  last  extinguished  by 
means  of  a  syringe  from  the  medicine  chest. 

Finding  no  serious  damage,  I  again  got  underway,  and  call- 
ing another  steamer  alongside,  with  one  securely  lashed  on  each 
side,  we  "blowed"  and  snorted,  roared  and  bellowed  through,  not 
over,  the  bar,  dragging  a  three  foot  channel  through  the  mud, 
as  we  passed,  and  by  breaking  up  the  crust,  liberating  two  ships 
that  had  been  lying  there  aground  for  a  week.  The  wind  was 
blowing  strong  from  the  northwest  and  at  11  a.  m.  the  lighthouse 
at  the  southwest  pass,  sank  below  the  horizon. 


CHAPTER  II. 

RULES  AND  REGULATIONS. 

The  Commander  and  Officers  of  this  ship  will  endeavour  to 
promote  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  the  passengers,  and  to  do 
this,  it  is  expected  that  the  following  rules  and  regulations  will 
be  cheerfully  complied  with: 

I. 

Courtesy  and  forbearance  on  the  part  of  each  are  necessary 
for  the  comfort  of  all. 

2. 

Should  any  passenger  feel  himself  aggrieved,  he  is  requested 
to  make  his  complaint  to  the  Commander  in  person,  with  the 
assurance  that  all  reasonable  complaints  shall  be  attended  to  and 
promptly  redressed. 

3- 

An  ample  supply  of  safety  lamps  will  be  provided,  and  no 
open  light  will  be  allowed,  except  by  direction  of  the  Surgeon, 
in  cases  of  sickness. 

4- 

The  firing  of  muskets  and  pistols,  or  the  use  of  gunpowder 
in  any  way  is  strictly  prohibited. 

5- 
Passengers  are  requested  to  abstain  from  holding  conversa- 
tion with  any  of  the  crew  while  on  duty,  and  particularly  with 
the  man  at  the  wheel. 

6. 

It  is  particularly  and  earnestly  requested  that  the  use  of  pro- 
fane language  may  be  carefuly  avoided. 
Breakfast  will  be  served  at  8  a.  m. 
Dinner         "     "        "        "  1  p.  m. 
Supper        "     "        "        "  6  P.  M. 

Geo.  Coffin,  Commander. 

14 


FOOD   AND   PASSENGERS  15 

For  the  first  two  days,  the  attendance  at  table  was  rather 
meagre,  most  of  the  passengers  being  engaged  in  casting  up 
their  accounts  with  the  shore,  and  settling  their  stomachs  for  a 
sea  diet.  And  while  they  are  thus  occupied,  I  will  try  to  enumer- 
ate some  of  them,  whom  I  may  have  occasion  to  introduce  in 
some  scenes  in  my  narrative. 

First,  there  was  a  large  house  on  deck,  which  was  appro- 
priated to  the  seamen's  quarters  and  the  kitchen.  This  left  a 
room  fourteen  feet  square  which  was  taken  by  a  party  of  three 
families,  viz.,  Mr.  Cumstock,  wife  and  two  children ;  Mr.  Lane, 
wife  and  one  child ;  Mr.  Bogert,  wife  and  four  children.  Mr. 
Cumstock  was  a  vain,  egotistical  individual ;  his  wife,  a  mild  and 
amiable  lady.  Mr.  Lane  was  a  very  quiet  sort  of  a  man;  his 
wife  was  a  "Xantippe." 

Mr.  Bogert  and  wife  were  married  the  day  before  we  left 
New  Orleans.  He  was  a  widower  and  she  a  widow,  and  sister 
of  Mr.  B's  first  wife.  They  had  each  but  recently  lost  their 
former  partners,  and  each  had  a  suckling  infant,  both  of  which 
Mrs.  B.  took  to  nurse.  It  was  thought  to  be  a  good  arrange- 
ment, and  the  first  time  I  saw  Mrs.  B.  I  was  quite  favourably 
impressed — but,  oh  woman,  who  can  fathom  you?  You  are 
either  an  angel  or  a  she-devil  incarnate.  But  enough  of  Mrs.  B. 
for  the  present. 

There  was  also  a  deck  cabin  with  two  divisions,  the  after- 
division  being  occupied  by  the  supercargo  and  myself.  The 
fore  part  contained  accommodations  for  six  gentlemen,  who  paid 
fifty  dollars  extra  for  the  privilege  of  occupying  them. 

Between  decks  there  was  a  German  doctor  (Tappe)  with  his 
wife,  fair,  fat  and  forty,  and  a  little  fat,  sleek  black  dog;  a  Mr. 
Leon  (German)  with  his  wife  and  a  little  girl;  a  Mr.  Mordecai 
(Jew)  and  his  wife;  a  Mr.  Tineman  and  wife,  young  and  re- 
cently married.  She  was  a  lively,  prattling  girl,  and  he  was  very 
jealous  of  her.  There  was  also  a  Mr.  Ladd,  formerly  of  Bel- 
fast, Maine,  with  his  wife  and  three  small  children ;  with  them 
came  a  widow  (Mrs.  Lathrop)  in  search  of  a  second  husband, 
who  she  was  "nous  verrons." 

There  was  also  a  Snip  in  the  form  of  a  diminutive  Irish  tailor, 
with  a  wife  and  three  small  children.     Now,  if  it  takes  nine 


r6  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

tailors  to  make  a  man,  Snip's  wife  was  "per  contra"  equal  to 
nine  ordinary  women.  She  stood  six  feet  in  her  slippers,  with  a 
frame  otherwise  proportionate.  But  I  must  give  her  the  credit 
of  being  the  least  trouble  of  any  woman  on  board,  she  minded 
her  own  business,  kept  her  children  tidy  and  her  husband  as 
straight  as  a  B  line.  There  were  some  half  a  dozen  other  married 
couples  of  no  note  and  a  heterogeneous  conglomeration  of  the 
masculine  gender,  mostly  from  the  western  states.  There  were 
lawyers,  doctors,  ministers,  shopkeepers,  gamblers,  rowdies  and 
gentlemen  of  no  particular  profession,  all  eager  for  a  short  pass- 
age to  the  new  found  land  of  gold.  There  was  one  old  gentle- 
man who  came  from  Mobile,  70  years  of  age  and  consumptive, 
he  had  a  wife  about  40;  he  said  he  undertook  the  voyage  for 
the  benefit  of  his  health,  but  he  took  care  to  provide  shovel,  pick, 
hoe  and  bar. 

April  16th. — Tortugas  in  sight.  The  passengers  have  got  over 
their  sea  sickness,  and  the  stewards  have  now  their  hands  full. 
We  have  three  different  messes:  The  party  in  the  deckhouse 
have  their  table  to  themselves,  and  half  a  dozen  others  who  paid 
fifty  dollars  extra  mess  in  the  aftercabin. 

I  had  told  all  the  passengers  that  there  would  be  but  one 
table,  and  that  they  would  all  live  as  I  did.  I  therefore  took 
my  seat  at  the  head  of  the  tables  between  decks,  and  took  care 
to  see  that  there  was  no  difference  in  the  fare,  whether  on  deck 
or  below.  As  the  Widow  Lathrop  had  no  protection,  I  gave  her 
a  seat  at  my  right  at  table,  of  which  I  had  cause  to  repent  after- 
ward. 

Towards  the  head  of  my  table  sat  the  rest  of  the  women  with 
their  husbands  and  children,  and  it  was  quite  an  interesting  sight 
to  look  from  my  position  over  three  tables  each  thirty  feet  long, 
and  to  observe  the  different  features  and  actions  of  my  voracious 
family.  Everything  went  on  well,  the  fare  was  good  and  ample 
with  a  plenty  of  servants,  and  throughout  the  voyage,  I  had  but 
one  occasion  to  speak  to  a  passenger  at  table  for  misconduct. 
This  was  in  the  case  of  a  western  minister.  We  were  near  Rio 
Janeiro  and  our  stock  of  fresh  meat  had  given  out,  when  at 
dinner  one  day  I  heard  this  man  call  out  to  the  chief  steward 
in  a  sarcastic  way  to  send  the  chickens  along.      As  soon  as  I 


LETTER  FOR  HOME  17 

had  finished  my  dinner,  I  left  to  go  on  deck,  and  passing  by  this 
man's  seat,  I  called  his  attention  to  me,  and  told  him  that  my 
tables  were  set  for  gentlemen,  and  not  for  rowdies.  He  looked 
like  a  lawyer  without  a  brief,  but  as  he  could  not  find  anyone 
disposed  to  join  him  in  growling,  he  was  obliged  to  submit 
quietly  to  the  rebuke,  and  before  the  passage  was  ended,  he  be- 
came the  best  friend  I  had  among  them  and  got  up  a  compli- 
mentary letter  to  the  owners. 

Friday,  April  19th. — A  fine  day,  standing  out  the  Gulf  of 
Florida,  Cat  Key  abreast,  fell  in  with  several  ships  bound  down 
the  gulf,  sent  a  letter  by  one  of  them  to  the  agents,  in  which 
I  had  the  pleasure  to  say  that  we  were  all  well  on  board.  This 
letter  was  probably  published  and  served  to  dispel  the  anxiety  of 
friends,  for  it  had  been  predicted  that  the  cholera  would  break 
out  on  board,  as  the  last  ship  that  left  New  Orleans  for  Cali- 
fornia had  lost  several  of  her  passengers  by  that  distemper,  dur- 
ing the  first  week  out. 

On  the  20th  we  passed  Matanilla,  and  I  shaped  a  course  so  as 
to  pass  Bermuda  fifteen  miles  to  the  south  of  it,  which  we  did  on 
the  30th.  The  wind  prevailed  from  the  south  and  was  very 
light,  which  carried  us  to  Long.  300,  Lat.  21  °  before  we  received 
the  N.  E.  trades. 

Saw  the  island  of  Saint  Anthony  on  the  15th  May.  This 
is  the  northwest  island  of  the  group  called  Cape  Verde  Islands. 
It  is  a  high,  barren,  uninviting  spot.  I  saw  no  signs  of  animal 
life  though  we  passed  within  five  miles.  These  islands  are  very 
subject  to  drought  and  famine.  A  few  years  since  I  was  in 
Havana,  when  three  vessels  came  in  there  crowded  with  emi- 
grants from  the  Cape  Verdes  ;  the  poor  wretches  had  been  obliged 
to  flee  from  starvation,  and  to  let  themselves  out  in  competition 
with  the  slaves  of  Cuba.  Oh !  God  of  Justice !  why  such  a  differ- 
ence in  the  social  condition  of  Thy  creatures? 

Saw  Brava  the  next  day,  and  crossed  the  Equator  on  the 
23rd.  It  has  been  one  of  the  rules  of  the  sea,  to  introduce  green 
hands  and  passengers  to  King  Neptune  on  passing  the  Line. 
On  one  of  my  voyages  to  India,  I  had  some  half  a  dozen  passen- 
gers, scions  of  the  codfish  aristocracy  of  Boston;  they  were  a 
wild  set  of  boys,  and  I  was  not  averse  to  the  sailors'  giving  them 


18  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

a  taste  of  old  Neptune's  baptism  on  their  promising  me  that  they 
would  be  careful  not  to  hurt  them.  We  passed  from  North  to 
South  latitude  during  the  afternoon,  and  when  the  shades  of 
evening  were  falling,  a  hoarse  voice  was  heard  ahead  hailing, 
"Ship  aho-oa,"  to  which  one  of  the  old  salts  who  was  on  the 
lookout  replied,  "Halloo-oah." 

"Heave  your  ship  to,  for  I  am  coming  on  board." 

The  seamen  now  considering  themselves  under  the  immediate 
orders  of  the  Sea  God,  without  any  reference  to  me  or  the 
mates,  laid  the  maintopsail  aback,  and  the  ship's  headway  was 
stopped.  The  sailors  had  previously  hoisted  a  barrel  of  water 
up  into  the  foretop,  leaving  two  of  their  number  up  there  with  it. 

The  rest  of  them  were  clustered  on  the  forecastle,  when  old 
King  Neptune  was  seen  rising  up  over  the  bows,  first  his  cap 
(a  mess  kid  bottom  up  with  a  large  tar  brush  for  a  plume),  then 
a  forehead  of  yellow  metal,  with  two  great  holes  for  eyes  and 
conchshells  for  eyeballs,  a  larger  conch  for  a  nose,  and  a  mouth 
slit  from  side  to  side,  and  filled  with  small  yellow  shells  for 
teeth.  His  neck  cloth  was  a  mat,  with  the  corners  of  a  tarpaulin 
standing  out  for  a  collar.  He  was  loosely  robed  in  a  spare 
studding  sail  and  his  trident  was  (of  course)  the  shark  grain. 
He  seated  himself  on  the  windlass  and  the  sailors  all  made  a 
profound  obeisance  to  his  Majesty. 

The  "B'hoys"  on  the  quarter  deck  were  enjoying  themselves 
in  singing  "Dandy  Jim"  and  "Old  Dan  Tucker,"  when  Neptune 
made  his  appearance  on  deck,  and  they  all  went  forward  to  see. 
Just  as  they  came  under  the  foretop  Neptune  in  a  speech  was 
saying,  "I  rule  on  the  sea,  I  cause  the  winds,  and  I  order  and  it 
rains,"  and  the  sailors  in  the  top  capsized  the  barrel  and  down 
came  a  cataract  upon  the  B'hoys. 

It  is  a  rule  of  the  Sea  King  to  initiate  all  his  fresh  subjects 
by  shaving  them  with  an  iron  hoop,  having  lathered  them  with 
a  paint  brush  dipped  in  the  cook's  slush  barrel,  but  he  sometimes 
dispenses  with  this  ceremony,  in  consideration  of  a  fee  of  a 
bottle  of  rum.  All  the  B'hoys  but  one  preferred  to  pay  the  fee. 
That  one  was  a  Mr.  Hall,  a  ministerial  student,  a  miserable  bigot, 
who  had  the  charity  to  tell  me  that  I  was  no  Christian  because  I 
professed  to  be  a  Unitarian.     He  was  a  weak,  conceited  fool, 


KING    NEPTUNE  19 

and  apparently  thought  he  was  going  to  Calcutta  to  teach  the 
Bishop.  He  was  a  teetotaller  from  principle,  and  could  not  dam- 
age his  conscience  by  bribing  a  god  with  a  bottle  of  rum. 

So  by  the  command  of  the  Sovereign  of  the  Sea,  the  sea- 
men blindfolded  Hall  and  seated  him  on  a  board  laid  loosely 
across  a  steep  tub,  half  full  of  pure  sea  water.  One  of  the  tars 
acted  as  barber,  while  Neptune  questioned  the  candidate  as  to 
his  former  life,  cautioning  him  to  make  true  answers  on  pain  of 
his  future  displeasure.  "Where  were  you  born?"  but  the  mo- 
ment poor  H.  opened  his  mouth  to  reply,  the  barber  lathered  his 
lips  with  a  paint  brush,  and  afterward  scraped  off  the  sweet 
scented  lather  with  his  iron  hoop.  Then  at  a  signal  from  his 
Majesty,  the  board  slipped  out,  and  H.  slipped  into  the  steep 
tub  and  the  sailor  scrubbed  and  rubbed  him  till  their  sovereign 
master  told  them  to  stop.  Neptune  then  bestowed  his  blessing 
upon  the  novice,  with  a  free  permit  to  traverse  any  part  of  his 
dominion  in  future. 

When  this  ceremony  had  concluded,  and  the  bottle  of  rum 
had  been  discussed- by  all  hands,  they  formed  in  procession  and 
escorted  his  Majesty  three  times  around  the  ship,  and  amid  the 
noise  and  confusion  of  three  real  hearty  sailor-like  cheers,  the 
God  of  the  Sea  plunged  into  his  own  dominions  and  drifted 
astern  in  a  blaze  of  illumination. 

Now,  all  this  was  a  farce  got  up  by  the  old  salts  on  board, 
one  of  them  personating  Neptune,  and  a  large  fender  was  thrown 
overboard  at  the  close  of  the  ceremony,  accompanied  by  a  number 
of  empty  bread  barrels,  filled  with  oakum  and  ready  to  be  ig- 
nited as  they  were  thrown  overboard.  Hall  was,  however,  so 
weak  as  to  believe  for  a  long  while  that  it  was  a  reality. 

On  this  voyage  I  am  at  present  relating,  I  thought  it  prudent 
to  put  a  veto  upon  any  such  demonstration  as  I  have  just  de- 
scribed, much  to  the  disappointment  of  the  old  seamen  and  some 
of  the  passengers. 


CHAPTER  III. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  being  in  Lat.  40  South,  Long.  300,  we 
received  the  first  breath  of  the  regular  southeast  trade  winds, 
one  of  the  phenomena  of  the  atmosphere  of  our  globe,  which  is 
constantly  revolving  upon  its  polar  axis.  Cold  air  is  known  to 
rush  towards  a  heated  surface  to  supply  the  vacuum  caused  by  the 
ascent  of  the  hot  air,  so  there  is  a  continual  movement  of  the 
cold  atmosphere  from  the  poles  towards  the  hottest  part  of  the 
earth's  surface,  which  is  the  Equator.  Near  the  poles  the  move- 
ment of  the  earth  in  its  diurnal  revolution  is  comparatively  slow, 
increasing  rapidly  as  we  approach  the  Equator;  of  course,  the 
air  which  is  at  first  flowing  south  from  the  North  Pole,  and  north 
from  the  South  Pole,  is,  by  contact  with  the  surface,  forced 
with  it  to  accompany  it  to  the  east,  but  it  cannot  be  made  to  move 
as  fast  as  the  earth,  and  so  appears  to  us  to  be  blowing  to  the 
west,  while  it  has  not  yet  lost  its  equatorial  tendency,  and  so 
within  a  distance  of  about  300  of  the  Equator  north  or  south  we 
find  that  the  air  is  moving  southwest  or  northwest  and  this  we 
call  the  northeast  or  southeast  trades. 

The  southeast  trades  now  prevailed  so  far  from  the  south 
that  I  did  but  just  clear  the  projecting  capes  of  South  America, 
and  fell  in  with  the  Abrolhos  bank,  where  I  was  becalmed  a  week. 
And  here  I  first  learned  of  the  organization  of  a  clique  of  know- 
ing ones,  who  had  taken  upon  themselves  to  enlighten  the  rest 
of  the  passengers  in  regard  to  the  navigation  of  the  ship. 

The  head  of  this  clique  was  a  broken  down  shipmaster  (Capt. 
McDonald),  who  applied  to  me  in  New  Orleans  for  a  situation, 
in  order  to  save  the  expense  of  a  passage,  and  simply  out  of 
charity,  I  took  him  as  a  supernumerary,  and  let  him  mess  with 
my  officers.  Next  came  the  vain  fool  Cumstock,  who  had  been 
a  voyage  to  Europe  and  was  of  course  qualified  to  criticize  my 
qualification  as  navigator.  Then  a  Mr.  Chase,  a  New  Orleans 
stevedore,  who  had  no  power  to  amuse  himself  except  by  watch- 
ing everything  said  or  done  by  me  or  my  mate,  and  reporting  it 

20 


COMMITTEE  ON   NAVIGATION  21 

to  the  clique.  There  was  one  more,  and  that  one  was  the  black- 
guard Davenport.  At  New  Orleans,  he  was  acting  as  mate  of 
the  barque  Florida,  which  vessel  was  on  the  berth  for  San  Fran- 
cisco; when  the  Alhambra  was  laid  on  in  opposition,  she  could 
get  no  freight  or  passengers,  and  her  voyage  was  abandoned, 
and  this  scoundrel  found  his  way  on  board  the  Alhambra  in  the 
manner  I  have  before  mentioned. 

As  soon  as  I  was  informed  of  the  doings  of  this  clique  of 
wise  ones,  I  gave  them  the  name  of  the  "committee  on  navi- 
gation," and  they  passed  by  this  designation  during  the  remain- 
der of  the  voyage,  continually  subject  to  the  jeers  and  gibes  of 
the  rest  of  the  passengers.  "I  say,  Tom,"  says  one,  "how  far  is  it 
to  Cape  Horn?"  "I  don't  know,  Bill,  you  must  ask  the  committee 
on  N."  "Jim,"  says  another,  "What's  the  latitude  and  longitude 
of  Farmer  Hutchins'  piggery?"  "How  do  you  think  I  know, 
Davy,  there's  Crookshank,  he  is  secretary  of  the  committee  on 
navigation,  ask  him,  he  ought  to  know,"  etc.,  etc.  I,  however, 
gave  McDonald  a  sharp  reprimand  for  his  interference  and  left 
him  in  Rio  Janeiro. 

I  have  been  much  amused  to  see  how  my  German  passengers 
lay  in  the  sauerkraut.  I  had  laid  in  a  good  supply  of  this  article, 
aware"  of  the  partiality  of  Germans  for  their  national  dish.  It 
is  simply  cabbage  cut  into  small  strips  and  salted.  This  dish 
was  served  up  twice  a  week  and  I  soon  perceived  that  Mrs.  Tappe 
was  particularly  fond  of  it.  I  have  said  that  she  was  "fat,  fair 
and  forty,"  this  is  literally  true  for  she  was  a  rosy  cheeked  corpu- 
lent lady.  On  sauerkraut  days  Mrs.  T.  would  seize  the  dish  and 
fill  her  plate,  and  eat  it  as  fast  as  she  could,  keeping  her  eyes 
fixed  all  the  time  upon  the  main  dish,  and  appearing  to  me  to  be 
mentally  saying,  "Now,  don't  anybody  empty  that  dish  till  I  can 
get  another  chance  at  it."  She  probably  imagined  that  it  had  a 
tendency  to  keep  her  body  corporate  in  a  condition  to  please  the 
doctor,  her  husband.    Oh,  sauerkraut,  nothing  like  sauerkraut ! 

One  day  while  we  were  becalmed  on  the  bank,  a  great  many 
sharks  were  swimming  around  the  ship,  they  were  of  all  sizes 
from  the  infant  of  two  feet  to  the  old  patriarch  of  eighteen  feet  in 
length.  We  caught  several,  those  not  over  three  feet  long  being 
very  good  eating,  tender,  juicy  and  sweet.     I  fancy  you  exclaim, 


22  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

"What!  eat  a  shark!"  And  why  not?  If  I  should  fall  over- 
board, they  would  not  hesitate  to  eat  me,  and  why  should  I  not 
retaliate?    The  older  ones  are  rank  and  oily. 

One  very  large  fellow  was  playing  around  all  the  morning, 
and  the  passengers  amused  themselves  by  throwing  over  bits 
of  meat  and  bread,  which  he  would  snap  at,  and  seize  sometimes 
before  the  bait  reached  the  water.  I  thought  it  a  good  time  to 
put  a  joke  upon  the  voracious  rascal,  a  thing  I  had  often  done 
before.  I  had  a  shin  bone  of  beef  boiled  as  hot  as  fire  could 
make  it,  and  watching  a  chance  when  he  was  close  under  the 
stern,  I  let  it  down  by  a  ropeyarn.  The  shark  saw  it  coming, 
and  thinking  (if  a  shark  can  think)  that  this  was  a  rare  bit,  he 
jumped  at  and  swallowed  it  without  stopping  to  consider  whether 
it  was  good  to  digest.  He  found  it  to  be  more  than  he  had 
bargained  for,  and  the  way  his  tail  and  flippers  made  the  water 
fly  was  a  caution  to  all  sharks  to  keep  clear  of  the  Alhambra. 
He  leaped  his  whole  length,  fifteen  feet,  out  of  the  water  and 
started  off  with  the  speed  of  a  locomotive,  and  the  last  we  saw 
of  him,  he  was  leaping  and  "ricochetting"  in  a  direct  line  for  the 
coast  of  Africa. 

June  ioth. — Fine  weather,  a  steamer  in  sight,  whose  man- 
euvers are  suspicious  or  at  least  singular.  She  runs  a  mile  or 
so  and  then  stops  a  few  minutes,  then  starts  off  in  another  direc- 
tion a  little  way  and  lays  by  again.  My  passengers  seem  uneasy 
about  her,  at  one  time  she  steered  directly  for  us,  under  a  full 
head  of  steam,  at  about  a  mile's  distance  she  suddenly  let  off 
steam,  and  I  saw  with  my  glass  that  they  were  heaving  the  lead. 
She  is  probably  a  surveying  vessel  taking  soundings  on  the  bank. 

June  15th. — Beautiful  weather.  The  coast  of  Brazil  in  sight. 
Old  Mr.  Johnson  has  been  gradually  failing  for  some  time,  and 
it  is  evident,  that  he  cannot  continue  many  days.  Of  this 
he  is  as  sensible  as  any  of  us.  He  sent  for  me  to  come  to  his 
room  this  morning.  I  found  him  very  feeble  but  calm,  he  talked 
about  his  approaching  dissolution,  as  coolly  as  one  would  about 
going  on  a  short  journey.  He  said  he  had  one  request  to  make 
of  me.  I  told  him  I  would  certainly  do  all  in  my  power  to 
meet  his  wishes.  He  then  said,  he  was  sensible  his  end  was 
approaching,  and  he  might  die  while  the  ship  was  in  Rio.     "In 


THE    WIDOW   AGAIN  23 

that  case,  Captain,"  said  he,  "do  not  let  me  be  buried  on  shore, 
but  I  beg  of  you  to  take  me  out  to  sea  with  you,  and  bury  me 
in  the  pure  blue  ocean."  He  had  his  will  drawn  up  by  an  Ala- 
bama lawyer  on  board,  and  witnessed  by  Mr.  Lane  and  myself, 
bequeathing  some  landed  property  in  Alabama  and  all  his  per- 
sonal effects  to  his  wife. 

I  have  more  than  once  had  occasion  to  caution  Mrs.  Lathrop 
to  be  more  circumspect  in  her  conduct.  She  has  been  in  the  habit 
of  separating  herself  from  the  other  women  in  their  evening 
parties  on  deck,  and  mixing  in  the  circles  of  men,  and  last  eve- 
ning I  detected  her  in  too  great  familiarity  with  one  of  the  cabin 
passengers.  She  took  my  reproof  in  good  part,  but  what  is  more 
deceitful  than  a  fallen  woman  ?  In  trying  to  shield  her  character, 
I  incurred  the  ill  will  of  her  lover,  rowdy  Stebbins,  and  he  was 
ever  after  my  unmitigated  enemy. 

June  17th. — Passed  Cape  Frio,  and  early  the  next  morning 
we  were  off  the  harbour  of  Rio  Janeiro.  The  approach  to  this 
harbour  is  exceedingly  grand.  The  distance  from  Cape  Frio  is 
about  fifty  miles,  and  on  passing  along,  peak  after  peak  comes  in 
sight  until  the  far-famed  "sugar  loaf"  points  out  the  entrance  of 
the  harbour,  which  is  about  two  miles  wide  and  opens  out  into 
a  beautiful  bay  about  twenty-five  miles  long  and  from  five  miles 
to  ten  miles  broad,  with  magnificent  scenery  all  around.  There 
is  a  flat  island  in  the  middle  of  the  entrance,  towards  this  island 
the  current  was  setting  strong,  and  it  being  nearly  calm,  my  ship 
became  unmanageable.  She  drove  rapidly  towards  the  island  till 
within  a  cable's  length,  when  the  offset  of  the  current  whirled 
her  round  the  eastern  end  and  into  the  bay.  I  had  no  command 
of  the  ship,  the  whirling  current  carried  her  along  sometimes 
heading  into  the  harbour,  and  sometimes  looking  out  again,  and 
at  other  times  broadside  to  she  would  shoot  rapidly  ahead  at 
the  great  risk  of  coming  in  contact  with  some  of  the  numerous 
vessels  that  were  in  the  same  fix. 

I  came  to  anchor  in  twenty-five  fathoms  three  miles  from  the 
city,  and  it  was  not  long  before  most  of  the  passengers  were 
raising  the  devil  in  Rio. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

There  were  eight  or  ten  other  vessels  in  Rio  Janeiro,  bound 
to  California  with  passengers,  and  the  city  authorities  had  no 
power  to  control  them.  The  poor  Brazilians  had  to  bow  before 
the  independent  rowdyism  of  these  Yankee  gold  hunters.  But 
they  consoled  themselves  in  the  flippant  way  in  which  they  found 
it  easy  to  relieve  Brother  Jonathan  of  his  present  stock  of  what 
he  was  going  in  search  of. 

In  most  of  these  ships  there  was  difficulty  between  the  cap- 
tains and  their  passengers,  and  the  American  Consul  had  taken  it 
upon  himself  to  displace  some  three  or  four  commanders  at  the 
instigation  of  their  passengers.  But  few  men  are  of  a  suitable 
temperament  to  get  along  in  such  a  position.  Most  of  the  diffi- 
culty on  board  these  ships  has  been  caused  by  the  commander 
making  too  free  with  those  under  his  charge,  in  the  outset,  drink- 
ing and  playing  cards  with  them,  and  by  their  familiarity  lessen- 
ing their  respect  for  his  position,  until  some  occasion  has  called 
for  the  exercise  of  his  authority,  when  he  has  found  that  he  had 
none. 

For  myself  I  started  with  the  determination  to  keep  myself 
aloof  as  much  as  good  manners  would  allow,  treating  every  one 
with  civility,  but  making  free  with  none.  I  never  took  a  card  in 
my  hand,  though  often  solicited  to  do  so.  I  suppose,  at  first, 
they  thought  that  I  was  proud  and  stiff,  but  I  believe  they  are 
now  convinced  of  the  propriety  of  my  course,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  I  could  fill  all  my  vacant  rooms  with  passengers  from 
other  ships,  if  they  could  get  a  portion  of  their  passage  money 
refunded. 

Mr.  Davenport  ran  a  great  rig  while  in  this  port.  When  he 
first  landed,  he  represented  himself  as  the  commander  of  the 
Alhambra  and  ran  in  debt  everywhere.  He  hired  a  four-oared 
barge  by  the  day,  went  on  board  the  frigate  Brandywine,  and  in- 
vited the  officers  to  a  dinner  at  a  hotel,  etc.,  etc.  One  morning 
as  he  was  leaving  the  ship  in  his  barge,  I  noticed  that  he  had 

24 


RIO  JANEIRO  25 

with  him  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Bogert's,  a  girl  of  thirteen  years, 
very  pert  and  remarkably  forward  both  physically  and  mentally. 
On  my  expressing  to  Mrs.  B.  my  surprise  at  her  allowing  it, 
she  spurned  my  advice.  "Oh,"  said  she,  "Sarah  is  old  enough 
to  take  care  of  herself."  "Very  well,  madam,  it  is  your  own 
affair,  not  mine,"  I  said. 

On  the  morning  of  my  departure,  a  fleet  of  boats  were  along- 
side, all  with  bills  made  out  against  the  Captain  of  the  Alhambra, 
and  when  I  was  pointed  out  to  them  as  that  important  individual, 
their  physiognomies  became  suddenly  elongated.  Davenport  had 
secreted  himself,  but  I  hunted  the  vagabond  out,  and  brought 
him  face  to  face  with  those  he  had  imposed  upon.  Some  of  them 
threatened  to  have  him  taken  out  of  the  ship,  and  I  told  them 
they  could  not  do  me  a  greater  favour. 

Rio  Janeiro  is  a  city  of  convents  and  monasteries,  without 
much  to  interest  a  stranger,  except  the  gardens  in  the  outskirts 
and  a  grand  aqueduct  constructed  upon  the  ancient  Roman  plan. 
The  population  (about  seventy  thousand)  is  a  mixture  of  Euro- 
peans, North  and  South  American  negroes  and  Indians,  with  no 
small  portion  of  mulattoes,  the  offspring  of  the  Portuguese  and 
their  female  slaves.  These  half-castes  are  generally  an  improve- 
ment upon  their  paternity  physically  and  intellectually,  and  are 
decidedly  the  most  enterprising  and  energetic  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  climate  is  warm  and  moist,  and  the  produce  of  the  country  is 
always  in  season.  Orchards  of  orange  trees  display  a  beautiful 
and  fragrant  temptation,  the  newly  opened  blossoms  and  the 
green  and  ripened  fruit  upon  the  same  tree. 

Sunday,  June  24. — Mr.  William  Higgins,  chief  mate  of  the 
ship,  asked  my  permission  to  take  the  Widow  Lathrop  on  shore 
and  be  married  to  her.  I  had  previously  received  a  hint  of  this 
from  Mrs.  Ladd,  but  I  expressed  surprise  and  strongly  objected 
to  the  business.  He  said  it  was  very  well,  and  then  asked  my 
advice  upon  the  matter.  I  told  him  plainly  what  I  thought  of 
her,  and  advised  him  to  keep  cool,  and  to  watch  his  inamorata 
for  the  residue  of  the  passage,  and  at  San  Francisco  he  could, 
of  course,  act  his  pleasure.  He  thanked  me  for  my  advice  and 
said  he  should  follow  it,  but  not  being  willing  to  communicate 
to  her  my  objection,  he  got  Mrs.  Ladd  to  break  the  matter. 


26  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

Now,  Mrs.  Lathrop  was  all  rigged  out  for  the  job,  anxious  to 
part  with  her  widow's  weeds,  and  was  taken  all  aback  when  she 
found  I  had  forbidden  the  banns,  but  she  affected  the  greatest 
astonishment  to  Mrs.  Ladd,  said  she  had  no  idea  of  such  a  thing, 
and  asked  Mrs.  L.  if  she  thought  she  could  demean  herself  by 
marrying  the  mate  of  a  ship.  Now,  Mr.  Higgins  was  stand- 
ing outside  of  her  stateroom,  and  when  he  heard  that,  he  went 
in,  and  immediately  there  was  a  great  flare-up.  Mrs.  Ladd  left 
the  room  in  disgust.  The  widow  then  altered  her  tone  again, 
began  to  fondle  and  caress  Higgins,  and  told  him  that  he  ought 
not  to  have  said  anything  to  me  upon  the  subject.  But  he  told 
her  that  his  eyes  were  now  opened,  and  that  I  had  saved  him 
from  a  life  of  misery.  She  flew  into  a  great  rage,  called  him  a 
coward,  ordered  him  to  leave  her  room,  and  went  off  into  a 
genteel  fit  of  hysterics,  and  sent  for  the  surgeon,  who  soon  found 
that  the  best  medicine  for  her  was  brandy.  She  shut  herself 
up  in  her  room,  and  did  not  make  her  appearance  again  till  we 
arrived  at  Valparaiso. 

I  took  on  board  here  a  Capt.  White  of  Baltimore,  with  his 
little  Spanish  wife.  They  were  passengers  on  board  the  brig 
Arabian,  but  Capt.  W.  said  there  was  so  much  disorder  on  board 
of  her,  that  they  could  not  go  any  further  in  her.  His  little 
woman,  as  he  called  her,  was  a  bit  of  a  thing,  with  a  fair  com- 
plexion, hair  as  black  as  jet  and  a  sparkling  black  eye  that  indi- 
cated spunk,  if  it  did  not  chastity.  The  immaculate  widow  soon 
found  a  fit  associate  in  Mrs.  White. 

While  in  Rio  Janeiro  we  discovered  that  a  plank  in  the  ship's 
bow  was  in  a  bad  state ;  it  was  a  foot  under  water,  and  we  were 
oblige  to  remove  cargo  from  forward  to  aft  to  bring  it  out  of 
water.  The  plank  was  gouged  nearly  through,  probably  done  by 
the  schooner's  anchor  in  the  Mississippi.  Having  repaired  the 
damage  and  laid  in  a  fresh  supply  of  provisions  and  water,  and 
left  my  letters  for  home,  I  started  again  on  the  25th  to  make  my 
way  toward  the  much  dreaded  Cape  Horn. 


CHAPTER  V. 

I  believe  that  nearly  every  one  of  my  passengers  has  asked  me 
if  I  have  ever  been  "round  the  Cape."  "Yes,  often,"  is  my  reply, 
and  so  I  have.  I  suppose  I  have  passed  Cape  Cod  fifty  times. 
This  is  a  matter  that  seems  to  them  one  of  transcendent  im- 
portance. I  overheard  a  party  of  them  conversing  about  it  last 
evening,  they  seemed  to  be  very  anxious  about  it,  till  one  of 
them  remarked,  "Well,  if  anybody  can  get  safe  round,  our  cap- 
tain can,  for  he  belongs  to  Nantucket,  and  has  been  a  whaling  all 
his  days,"  and  this  seemed  to  pacify  them.  So  it  seems  "there  is 
something  in  a  name"  sometimes. 

July  ist. — The  winds  prevail  from  the  western  quarter,  gen- 
erally about  W.  S.  W.  This  day  a  brig  was  seen  standing  to  the 
northwest  upon  the  larboard  tack,  and  I  believe  it  is  the  unani- 
mous opinion  of  the  "Committee  on  Navigation"  that  I  ought 
to  be  on  that  tack,  too.  This  committee  have  received  an  acces- 
sion in  the  person  of  a  Capt.  Huggins,  who  was  one  of  the  mas- 
ters displaced  by  the  consul  at  Rio.  He  begged  of  me  to  take 
him  along  to  San  Francisco  and  merely  from  charity  I  took  him 
at  half  price.  He  had  taken  the  place  of  McDonald  on  board, 
and  thought  himself  a  big  man.  Thus  my  charity  is  once  more 
appreciated. 

July  4th. — I  was  aroused  at  3  a.  m.  by  what  I  supposed  was  a 
row  on  deck.  On  going  out  to  see  what  was  to  pay,  I  found  it 
was  but  the  beginning  of  the  celebration.  A  parcel  of  wild  ones 
had  got  on  deck,  with  their  liquor  and  their  revolvers,  and 
seemed  determined  to  make  a  day  of  it.  Taking  them  in  season 
before  the  spirits  began  to  operate,  I  convinced  them  of  the 
impropriety  of  having  their  firearms  about,  and  persuaded  them 
to  give  them  all  up  to  me.  They  mounted  an  Alabama  lawyer 
on  the  capstan,  and  he  made  an  attempt  at  an  oration. 

"Fellow  Citizens  by  G — ,"  said  he,  "this,  by  G — ,  is  the  great- 
est day,  by  G — ,  that  ever  dawned,  by  G — ,  since  the  creation. 
We,  by  G— ,  are  the  great  American  people,  by  G — ,"  and  so  he 

27 


28  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

went  on  in  this  profane  style,  much  to  the  gratification  of  his 
hearers,  who  often  expressed  their  applause  by  shouting  out, 
"Good,  by  G— ." 

They  had  already  begun  to  make  free  use  of  the  bottle,  and 
insisted  that  I  should  join  them.  I  thought  it  best  to  humour 
them  on  this  occasion  and  proposing  a  suitable  sentiment,  we 
drank  to  "the  memory  of  the  heroes  of  the  revolution."  I  then 
retired  to  my  room,  and  was  not  again  molested.  I  thought  it 
best  to  keep  myself  in  my  own  room,  during  the  day,  unless  some 
disorder  should  call  for  my  interference,  which,  I  am  happy  to 
say,  was  not  the  case.  The  day  was  kept  in  an  uproarious  mani- 
festation of  patriotism,  three  bouncing  cheers  were  frequently 
shouted  for  freedom,  liberty,  Washington  and  particularly  for 
"Old  Hickory."  Many  of  them  got  patriotically  drunk,  and 
were  bundled  into  their  berths.  But  we  had  no  outbreak  and  the 
next  morning  all  was  quiet  again. 

A  Burial  at  Sea. 

July  6. — The  expected  event  has  arrived.  Old  Mr.  Johnson 
breathed  his  last  at  midnight;  he  died  without  a  struggle  or  a 
groan.  Early  this  morning  the  corpse  was  sewed  up  in  a  new 
sheet  and  afterwards  covered  with  canvas.  At  n  a.  m.  it  was 
laid  on  a  smooth  plank  at  the  gangway,  with  a  sufficient  weight 
attached  to  the  feet  to  cause  it  to  sink  rapidly.  The  ensign  was 
set  at  half-mast.  At  noon  all  hands  were  summoned  to  attend 
the  ceremony;  the  officers  and  crew  were  neatly  and  freshly 
clad;  one  mate  and  one  man  stood  on  each  side  of  the  plank. 
The  mainsail  was  hauled  up,  the  maintopsail  laid  aback,  and  the 
ship's  headway  stopped. 

The  passengers  being  all  assembled,  I  mounted  the  poop,  and 
after  saying  a  few  words  I  read  a  short  prayer,  composed  for  the 
occasion,  and  requested  any  one  who  felt  so  disposed  to  improve 
the  occasion  to  address  his  fellow  voyagers.  No  one  seemed  so 
disposed.  I  then  read  the  beautiful  burial  service  from  the 
Common  Prayer  Book.  At  the  proper  moment  the  men  raised 
their  end  of  the  plank  and  the  corpse  slid  gently  into  the  sea 
and  sank  immediately.    The  sea  was  so  transparent  that  the  body 


FAULKLAND  ISLANDS  29 

could  be  seen  gyrating  in  its  descent  many  fathoms  down  be- 
neath the  surface. 

The  widow,  as  in  duty  bound,  gave  a  groan,  and  thus  ended 
the  ceremony.  The  ensign  was  run  up  to  the  peak,  the  main- 
topsail  filled  and  the  mainsail  set,  and  the  Alhambra  started  off 
again  upon  her  course,  leaving  the  mortal  remains  of  the  old 
gentleman  to  find  their  last  resting  place  where  his  immortal  soul 
had  wished,  in  the  pure  blue  ocean. 

July  7. — A  remarkably  fine  day.  The  wind  continues  to  blow 
steadily  from  the  southwest  and  the  atmosphere  seems  ethereal, 
but  it  could  not  heal  the  lungs  of  Mr.  Johnson. 

But  pure  as  is  the  air,  it  is  thickened  with  innumerable  clouds 
of  locusts  and  the  surface  of  the  sea  is  literally  covered  with  the 
dead  and  exhausted ;  the  ship's  rigging  had  been  recently  freshly 
tarred,  and  millions  upon  millions  of  these  insects,  in  seeking 
rest  to  their  wearied  wings,  alighted  upon  the  shrouds  and  back- 
stays and  were  done  for.  There  they  hang,  their  feet  sticking 
fast  to  the  green  tar  and  their  long  wings  extended  and  flutter- 
ing, making  a  noise  like  miniature  coopers  drumming  around 
some  quack  doctor's  pill  boxes,  but  the  poor  things  cannot  extri- 
cate themselves  from  their  impromptu  trap.  All  day  long  army 
upon  army  of  them  darkened  the  air,  and  the  topgallant  back- 
stay swelled  to  the  size  of  the  mast  it  supports.  An  extraordi- 
nary phenomenon!  We  are  in  the  latitude  of  Rio  de  la  Plata, 
and  these  "cicada  tettigonia"  have  been  blown  off  the  coast  hun- 
dreds of  miles  by  a  "pampero,"  and  were  now  on  their  return 
attracted  to  a  fatal  foothold,  affording  a  moral  which  it  would 
have  been  well  if  some  of  my  married  passengers  had  attended 
to  in  season,  viz.,  "Look  before  you  leap." 

The  winds  prevailed  so  much  from  southwest  that  I  was 
obliged  to  pass  to  the  eastward  of  the  Faulkland  Islands.  Saw 
them  on  the  8th.  They  appear  to  be  composed  of  volcanic  rock, 
high,  broken  and  barren ;  not  a  tree  could  be  seen.  When  first 
discovered  they  were  uninhabited,  and  have  been  colonized  and 
abandoned  several  times;  at  present  they  are  claimed  by  the 
Buenos  Ayres  Government. 

Having  passed  to  the  south  of  them,  we  encountered  a  heavy 
gale  from  the  southwest,  which  brought  us  down  to  double  reefs, 


3° 


A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 


and  eventually  to  a  close  reefed  maintopsail  and  main  spencer, 
under  which  sail  we  lay  to  twenty-four  hours.  The  sea  was 
exceedingly  rough  and  the  ship  lay  very  uneasily.  Every  box 
and  trunk  among  the  passengers  that  was  not  securely  lashed 
was  pitching  and  tumbling  about  in  admirable  confusion,  and 
there  was  a  great  time  among  them. 

In  the  height  of  this  gale  I  had  an  unpleasant  altercation  with 
the  surgeon  of  the  ship,  Doctor  Haygarth  of  London.  Like 
most  cockneys,  he  was  a  vain,  egotistical  snob.  He  had  ren- 
dered himself  obnoxious  to  most  of  the  passengers  by  his  insuf- 
ferable insolence,  always  drawing  some  one  of  them  into  an 
argument,  which  never  ended  without  his  telling  them  that  their 
arguments  were  foolish,  preposterous  or  nonsensical.  He  had 
been  surgeon  on  board  English  convict  ships,  and  could  not 
bring  himself  to  a  level  with  citizens  of  America. 

On  this  occasion  he  made  some  observations  that  induced  me 
to  remind  him  that  he  was  talking  to  gentlemen ;  on  which  he 
flew  into  a  violent  rage  and  insulted  me  grossly.  His  conduct 
was  so  outrageous  that  the  mate  and  some  of  the  passengers 
advised  putting  him  in  irons,  but  I  thought  it  best  to  treat  him 
with  silent  contempt,  determining,  however,  that  if  he  did  not 
make  a  suitable  apology  I  would  leave  him  at  Valparaiso. 

July  10. — Mrs.  Leon  complained  to  me  this  morning  that 
Mrs.  Mordecai  had  insulted  her,  and  insisted  that  I  should  talk 
to  her;  so  I  held  a  petticoat  court  martial.  It  appeared  that 
their  rooms  were  adjoining,  and  the  row  commenced  about  which 
of  them  made  the  most  dirt.  I  settled  the  matter  by  directing 
Margaret  (an  Irish  stewardess)  to  pay  particular  attention  to 
these  premises.  "Faith,"  says  Maggy,  "It's  sax  o'  one  and  half 
a  dizen  of  tither,  and  the  Tivel  himself  couldn't  tell  which  of 
the  two  is  the  dirtiest." 

After  the  gale  the  wind  came  from  the  east,  and  gave  us  a 
fine  run  around  the  much-dreaded  Cape  Horn.  I  passed  within 
two  miles  of  Diego  Ramirez  (the  large  rocks  lying  eight  leagues 
south  of  the  southern  extremity  of  Patagonia) .  The  lofty  moun- 
tains of  Terra  del  Fuego,  land  of  fire,  towered  up  awfully  sub- 
lime in  the  distance,  but  the  fire  must  have  been  extinguished 
by  the  immense  quantities  of  snow  now  on  the  mountains,  it 
being  the  southern  winter. 


CAPE    HORN 


31 


Around  these  rocks  the  air  was  literally  clouded  with  sea 
fowl,  from  the  huge  and  stately  albatross  to  the  tiny  petrel  or 
Mother  Carey's  chicken,  with  pelicans,  penguins,  gulls  and  Cape 
pigeons.  The  albatross  sails  gracefully  above  the  others,  appar- 
ently without  moving  his  wings;  he  is  exceedingly  voracious, 
following  ships  with  his  head  turned,  so  as  to  keep  one  eye  on 
the  lookout  for  the  waste  thrown  over  by  the  cook.  He  is  easily 
caught  with  a  hook  baited  with  pork;  he  seizes  the  bait,  and 
the  hook  catches  in  the  lower  mandible,  and  he  is  hauled  in, 
struggling  with  great  force  to  escape. 

I  caught  several,  one  fellow  whose  wings  measured  ten  feet 
across.  When  landed  on  deck  he  showed  fight,  and  it  was  dan- 
gerous to  come  within  reach  of  his  wings  or  beak.  Doc.  Tappe's 
fat  black  sleek  dog  attempted  it  and  received  a  snap  that  sent 
him  off  howling  in  double  contralto,  and  gave  the  Doctor  an  op- 
portunity to  practice  his  profession,  the  only  one  he  had  during 
the  voyage.  The  bird  was  unable  to  rise;  every  time  he  at- 
tempted it  his  wings  came  in  contact  with  the  deck  before  he 
could  exert  their  power  to  raise  his  body  and  gain  an  impetus. 
After  amusing  myself  with  him  for  an  hour  I  ordered  him  to  be 
raised  from  the  deck  by  two  sailors,  when  he  darted  off  like  a 
rocket,  but  still  kept  sailing  round,  looking  down  upon  us  with 
scorn,  seeming  to  say,  "Try  it  again,  my  hearties,  you  don't  catch 
this  bird  any  more." 

The  Cape  pigeons  are  caught  in  the  same  way,  and  some  say 
they  make  a  good  pigeon  pie,  but  if  so  it  must  be  made  by  a 
double  refined  French  "cuisinier."  My  cook  could  not  neutralize 
the  abominable  rankness  of  the  flesh. 

The  pelican  is  nearly  as  large  as  the  albatross;  he  has  a 
monstrous  bill  with  a  bag  or  pouch  hanging  to  the  lower  man- 
dible capable  of  carrying  food  sufficient  for  two  or  three  days. 
He  brays  like  an  ass  or  squawks  like  a  peacock.  He  lives  prin- 
cipally upon  fish,  which,  if  an  unlucky  one  comes  near  the  sur- 
face, he  will  dart  down  upon  from  a  great  height  and  seize  with 
unerring  aim ;  perhaps  the  poor  fish  is  charmed  as  some  snakes 
are  said  to  fascinate  small  animals.  These  birds  are  gregarious : 
there  were  apparently  many  millions  of  them  around  these  rocks. 

The  little  petrel  dances  upon  the  water  with  its  webbed  feet, 


32  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

and  wings  always  spread.  This  interesting  little  species  is  met 
with  in  all  latitudes  and  is  particularly  active  in  stormy  weather. 
The  different  inhabitants  of  Diego  Ramirez  must  be  conserva- 
tive, and  respect  the  rights  of  others,  or  they  could  not  live 
together  in  a  country  so  small.  Would  that  creation's  lord  could 
learn  a  lesson  from  them! 

Cape  Horn  is  a  bugbear;  I  had  rather  double  it  five  times 
in  winter  than  to  come  out  the  English  channel  once  in  Decem- 
ber or  January.  In  two  days  after  passing  the  rocks  I  had  ad- 
vanced to  the  west  far  enough  to  shape  a  course  for  Valparaiso. 


CHAPTER  VL 

July  22. — Yesterday  we  had  a  heavy  gale  from  northwest. 
At  4  p.  m.  I  laid  the  ship  to  with  the  larboard  tacks  on  board, 
head  to  the  northeast.  At  midnight  the  wind  veered  more  north- 
erly, and  I  hove  ship  and  laid  her  head  to  the  northwest,  the 
coast  of  Chili  being  about  seventy-five  miles  distant  by  chronom- 
eter. 

About  2  a.  m.  there  was  the  "devil  to  pay"  among  the  pas- 
sengers. One  of  the  "Committee  on  Navigation"  (Chase)  had 
spread  a  report  that  we  were  on  a  lee  shore,  and  could  not  keep 
off  till  morning.  He  said  that  when  it  lightened  he  could  see  the 
surf  breaking  awfully  upon  the  rocks  not  more  than  two  miles 
to  leeward.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  assured  them  that  we  were 
more  than  fifty  miles  from  land,  that  even  if  it  was  as  Chase 
said,  we  could  not  possibly  run  ashore  as  the  wind  was  and  as 
the  ship  was  driving.  Finding  that  they  would  not  listen  to 
me,  T  went  to  bed  and  left  them  to  enjoy  their  consternation. 
Some  of  them  sat  up  till  morning,  by  which  time  the  weather 
had  cleared  up,  and  not  even  the  tops  of  the  mountains  could 
be  seen  from  aloft. 

On-  this  occasion  the  ungrateful  Captain  Higgins  made  him- 
self conspicuous  in  increasing  the  turmoil,  and  I  was  obliged  to 
give  him  a  piece  of  my  mind ;  for  this  I  was  well  prepared,  hav- 
ing learned  more  about  him  from  the  Consul  at  Rio  Janeiro 
than  he  was  aware  of. 

August  io. — Twenty  days  have  passed  without  any  occur- 
rence worthy  of  note.  Passengers  have  nothing  to  do  but  eat 
and  sleep  and  growl  at  the  length  of  the  days  and  the  nights, 
too.  What  a  drawback  to  human  happiness  is  this  abominable 
ennui !  If  it  was  an  original  element  in  human  nature  the  Crea- 
tor could  not  have  inflicted  a  greater  curse  on  Father  Adam 
than  to  have  left  him  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  to  live  without 
labour  and  eat  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth  that  grew  spontaneously 
about  him.    I  am  now  standing  up  the  coast  to  the  north. 

33 


34  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

The  schooner  Friendship  is  in  sight;  she  is  also  from  New 
Orleans  and  bound  to  San  Francisco.  This  schooner  left  under 
another  master,  about  three  weeks  ahead  of  us,  but  I  found  her 
at  Rio,  and  we  left  that  port  together.  When  seen  this  morning 
she  was  in  shore  of  us  (land  in  sight  about  ten  leagues  distant), 
and  took  the  land  breeze  and  shot  ahead  out  of  sight,  much  to 
the  discomfort  of  some  of  my  uneasy  passengers,  who  said  she 
would  reach  Valparaiso  two  days  before  us.  I  took  no  notice  of 
their  remarks,  but  I  authorized  Mr.  Moss  (supercargo)  to  ac- 
cept bets  on  my  account  to  the  amount  of  fifty  dollars  on  the 
question  which  vessel  would  first  come  to  anchor  in  Valparaiso. 
The  Andes  (backbone  of  South  America)  are  visible,  covered 
with  snow,  towering  above  the  clouds. 


"The  married  state,  with  and  without  the  affection  suited  to 
it,  is  the  completest  image  of  Heaven  or  Hell  we  are  capable  of 
forming  in  this  life."  — Spectator. 

If  this  be  true,  then  must  the  Alhambra  be  the  "completest 
image"  of  the  latter — a  hell  upon  the  ocean.  Among  all  my 
married  passengers  there  are  but  three  couples  that  do  not  have 
their  matrimonial  outbreaks.  The  most  of  them  came  on  board 
as  sweet  as  Muscovado  molasses,  but  excessive  sweetness  often 
turns  to  the  most  acrid  acerbity,  and  so  it  has  been  with  my 
saccharine  subjugates.  Cape  Horn  has  frozen  all  the  love  out 
of  them.  Two  months'  "close  communion"  in  a  small  stateroom 
has  caused  the  molasses  to  ferment,  and  fermentation  always 
changes  to  vinegar. 

As  to  Mr.  Bogert  and  Company,  they  have  had  a  regular 
matrimonial  set-to,  and  have  sat  apart,  at  least  for  the  residue 
of  the  passage,  and  she  has  taken  to  one  of  the  vacant  rooms 
between  decks. 

"In  company  they  are  in  purgatory, 
When  only  together  they  are  in  a  hell." 

— Addison's  description  of  the  vexatious 

life  in  matrimony. 

August  16. — Fine  weather,  with  a  fresh  breeze  from  the 
south,  steering  north  under  all  sail,  including  studding  sails.    At 


A   WAGER  35 

meridian  saw  the  lighthouse  on  the  promontory  that  forms  the 
western  boundary  of  the  bay  of  Valparaiso.  At  the  same  time 
discovered  the  schooner  Friendship  between  us  and  the  coast; 
she  was  also  under  full  sail,  and  we  went  dashing  along  in  fine 
style  together.  It  was  questionable  how  the  bets  would  result. 
As  we  drew  near  the  promontory  she  began  to  shorten  sail, 
and  we  got  ahead  and  rounded  the  point  with  studding  sails  set, 
a  cable's  length  ahead.  The  people  on  shore  were  astonished 
to  see  a  ship  come  dashing  in  under  such  a  press  of  canvas  (so 
the  Harbour  Master  told  me),  but  I  had  got  every  halyard 
ready  to  run  in  a  moment. 

On  hauling  into  the  bay,  and  bringing  the  wind  abeam,  the 
schooner  had  the  advantage  and  came  up  alongside.  I  foresaw 
that  the  captain  of  the  schooner  would  make  two  or  three  tacks 
to  gain  a  good  berth  to  anchor,  a  thing  which  I  could  not  do 
on  account  of  the  size  of  my  ship  and  her  draft  of  water.  I 
had  this  in  view  when  I  fixed  the  bets  on  the  question  as  to 
which  vessel  would  first  come  to  anchor.  While  the  schooner 
was  thus  occupied  in  beating  up,  the  captain  of  the  port  came 
on  board  the  ship  and  ordered  the  anchor  to  be  let  go.  The 
bettors  looked  glum,  but  promptly  paid  up. 

While  we  were  at  supper  there  was  a  mutiny  broke  out  in 
the  deck  house.  Messrs.  Lane  and  Bogert  have  come  to  pistols 
and  bowie  knives.  At  the  supper  table  Bogert  accused  Mrs. 
Lane  with  having  slandered  him  to  his  wife  and  thus  alienating 
her  affections!  Fudge!  she  had  no  affections  to  alienate.  But 
that  is  no  excuse  for  Mrs.  Lane. 

Now  Mrs:  "L.- was  not  the  woman  to  be  talked  to.  The  battle 
of  tongues  was  altogether  in  her  favour.  Tongues !  good  gra- 
cious, why,  that  little  piece  of  india  rubber  belonging  to  her 
would  annihilate  a  dozen  Bogerts.  He  saw  that,  and  as  soon 
as  he  could  get  a  word  in  edgeways  he  bawled  out  "Virago."  At 
this  quiet  Mr.  Lane  felt  himself  called  upon  to  resent  the  insult, 
and  soon  the  screams  and  squalls  of  women  and  children  from 
that  house  which  was  to  have  been  the  abode  of  peace  announced 
the  outbreak. 

I  was  called  upon  to  suppress  the.  mutiny,  and  found  Bogert 
flourishing  a  large  bowie  knife,  and  Mr.  Lane  prepared  to  de- 


36  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

fend  himself  with  a  revolver.  I  succeeded  in  arranging  a  truce, 
and  persuaded  the  combatants  to  give  me  their  weapons,  but  I 
could  not  refrain  from  cautioning  Mrs.  Lane  to  be  more  circum- 
spect in  future,  and  telling  her  that  her  imprudence  might  have 
caused  the  death  of  her  husband.  As  usual,  this  row  was  all 
about  the  women. 

I  found  in  Valparaiso  several  passenger  ships  bound  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  the  great  number  of  Americans  on  shore  at  one  time 
seemed  to  nationalize  the  town.  Yankees  did  just  as  they  pleased 
and  the  city  authorities  were  powerless  to  restrain  them;  but 
the  great  California  emigration  has  been  a  godsend  to  this  place, 
and  they  can  well  put  up  with  the  Yankee  dare-devil  spirit  for 
the  sake  of  the  Yankee  gold. 

Everything  in  the  line  of  provisions  has  advanced  fifty  per 
cent.  In  the  staple  article  of  flour  California  has  opened  a  new 
and  extensive  demand,  and  hundreds  of  acres  are  now  in  wheat 
where  last  year  was  nothing  but  weeds  and  thistles. 

Valparaiso  is  a  singularly  romantic  place.  A  spur  from  the 
Andes  shoots  out  to  the  coast  and  ends  at  the  promontory  where 
stands  the  lighthouse.  The  debris  from  this  spur  has  formed  a 
narrow  strip  of  low  and  level  ground,  where  stands  the  city,  or 
rather  a  portion  of  the  city.  The  residences  of  the  wealthy  are 
fantastically  built  on  the  sides  of  the  hill,  the  back  sides  of  many 
of  them  standing  on  piles  ten  to  twenty  feet  high,  looking  as 
though  a  slight  commotion  would  set  them  tumbling  down  hill, 
like  a  child's  village  of  houses  of  cards. 

There  are  three  sugar  loaf  cones  in  the  western  part  of  the 
town;  these  are  called  in  sailor's  language  the  fore,  main  and 
mizzen  tops;  they  are  all  occupied  by  sailors'  boarding  houses, 
brothels  and  grog  shops. 

There  are  a  few  streets  well  laid  and  of  good  width,  and  the 
stores  and  mercantile  houses  are  large,  commodious  and  well 
built.  There  is  a  very  good  library  and  reading  room  open 
and  free  to  all  strangers.  The  harbour  or  bay  is  a  crescent,  open 
to  the  north. 

In  the  eastern  quarter  is  the  Almendral,  a  delightful  drive 
and  promenade  evenings,  and  is  the  general  resort  for  all  classes. 
Here  the  sparkling  black  eyes  of  the  signoritas  dart  their  bewitch- 


AN  INVESTIGATION  37 

ing  glances  through  the  meshes  of  their  thin  gauze  headdress, 
which,  with  their  graceful  demeanor,  their  superb  carriage 
and  elegant  movement,  seem  to  make  them  appear  as  ethereal 
beings  or  fairies.  The  intelligence,  deep  feeling,  fidelity  and  con- 
stancy of  the  Spanish  ladies  is  proverbial,  and  their  descendants 
in  America  have  lost  nothing  of  these  qualities. 

The  American  Consul,  William  G.  Moorhead,  Esq.,  occupies 
the  most  conspicuous  residence  in  town.  It  is  on  the  extreme 
edge  of  a  plateau,  jutting  out  from  the  mountain,  and  looks  down 
upon  the  lower  town  over  a  precipice  three  hundred  feet  high; 
here  the  Stars  and  Stripes  are  kept  flying  from  morning  till 
night,  the  symbol  of  power  and  liberty. 

Having  waited  two  days  in  expectation  that  the  surgeon 
would  leave  of  his  own  accord,  and  finding  he  had  no  intention 
of  doing  so,  I  requested  Mr.  Moorhead  to  make  an  investigation 
into  his  conduct  and  advise  me  how  to  proceed;  his  report  and 
certificate  is  here  annexed.  He  told  the  doctor  that  he  had  ren- 
dered himself  liable  to  punishment  as  a  mutineer,  and  said  that 
I  should  be  justified  either  in  putting  him  on  shore  or  in  taking 
him  along  in  irons.  I  chose  the  former  course,  and  the  next 
morning  I  sent  him  the  following  note:  "Sir.  Another  person 
is  appointed  as  surgeon  of  this  ship,  and  you  are  required  forth- 
with to  vacate  the  room  you  now  occupy.  A  boat  will  be  in 
readiness  at  12  o'clock  to  convey  your  baggage  to  any  place  you 
desire." 

An  investigation  before  the  United  States  Consul  at  Val- 
paraiso on  the  1  6th  of  August,  1849,  at  the  instance  of 
George  Coffin,  Esq.,  Master  of  the  Ship  "Alhambra," 
in  relation  to  the  conduct  of  Dr.  G.  B.  Haygarth,  sur- 
geon on  board  the  said  ship. 

Captain  S.  Scott,  a  passenger  on  the  "Alhambra,"  was  called 
and  duly  sworn,  who  stated  that  the  surgeon,  Dr.  G.  B.  Hay- 
garth,  called  the  Captain  (in  his  hearing)  a  double  or  treble 
refined  humbug,  that  he  did  not  understand  his  business,  and 
that  he  would  teach  him  his  business.  The  Captain  ordered 
him  to  leave  the  door  of  his  cabin,  before  which  he  was  stand- 
ing, which  he  refused,  when  the  Captain  directed  the  carpenter 


2'~' 


38  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

who  was  near  the  door  to  shut  it,  whereupon  the  said  Dr.  Hay- 
garth  struck  a  blow  with  his  fist,  as  I  suppose,  at  the  Captain's 
face,  but  as  the  carpenter  warded  off  the  blow  by  pushing  the 
door  to  close  it,  the  blow  did  not  take  effect,  but  grazed  the 
side  of  his  face.  The  above  occurred  some  four  weeks  ago — 
thought  at  the  time,  and  now  think,  that  the  conduct  of  the  said 
Haygarth  was  very  improper  and  insubordinate. 

Mr.  Samuel  Morse,  a  passenger  in  the  said  ship,  was  called 
and  sworn,  who  stated  that  he  occupied  a  stateroom  in  the  Cap- 
tain's cabin,  was  standing  near  on  the  outside  of  the  door  when 
his  attention  was  arrested  by  a  discussion  between  the  Captain 
and  the  surgeon;  heard  the  said  Dr.  Haygarth  say  to  Captain 
Coffin  that  he  was  a  double  refined  humbug.  The  Captain  or- 
dered him  to  leave  his  door,  which  he  refused  to  do.  The  Cap- 
tain thereupon  directed  the  carpenter,  who  was  near,  to  close 
the  door,  and  while  in  the  act  of  so  doing  the  said  Haygarth 
struck  a  blow  with  his  fist,  evidently  at  some  object  within  the 
room,  when  he  (the  declarant)  assisted  the  carpenter  in  taking 
the  said  Haygarth  from  the  door.  On  the  same  day  heard  the 
said  Haygarth  say  to  the  Captain  that  he  did  not  understand 
his  business,  that  he  had  sailed  longer  on  board  of  American 
vessels  than  he,  the  said  Captain,  had.  The  conduct  of  the  said 
Haygarth  was  mutinous  and  offensive  in  the  highest  degree,  so 
much  so  that  if  he,  the  declarant,  had  been  in  command  of  the 
ship  he  would  have  placed  him  in  irons.  There  were  some  fif- 
teen of  the  passengers  present  at  the  time  of  this  occurrence. 

Mr.  O.  Ladd,  also  a  passenger  in  the  said  ship  Alhambra, 
was  called,  and  being  duly  sworn  declared:  That  he  heard  Dr. 
Haygarth  say  to  Captain  Coffin  that  he  did  not  know  his  duty, 
and  that  he  could  make  him  do  it.  The  Captain  said,  "How  will 
you  do  that?"  to  which  the  said  Haygarth  replied,  "I  know  how 
and  will  do  it.  I  have  not  lived  in  New  Orleans  so  long  without 
learning  how  to  make  you  do  it,"  intimating  thereby,  as  declar- 
ant understood,  that  he  might  resort  to  foul  means  to  do  it; 
heard  the  Captain  order  him  to  leave  his  door,  etc.,  etc.  Had  no 
fault  to  find  with  Captain  Coffin,  found  him  always  ready  and 
willing  to  accommodate  the  passengers.  There  were  some  twenty 
or  more  persons  present  at  the  time  the  difficulty  occurred  be- 


THE  SURGEON  LEAVES  39 

tween  the  Captain  and  Dr.  Haygarth  near  the  door  of  the  Cap- 
tain's cabin. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  the  seal  of  the  Consulate  at  Val- 
paraiso this  sixteenth  day  of  August,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
One  Thousand  Eight  Hundred  and  Forty-nine. 

Wm.  G.  Moorhead, 

Consul  U.  S.  A. 

At  1 1  a.  m. — I  sent  my  steward  down  to  see  if  he  had  made 
any  preparation  for  going;  he  had  not  done  so,  and  sent  me  no- 
tice that  he  should  not  leave  the  ship  except  by  force.  "Very 
well,  sir,  then  let  it  be  by  force,"  said  I.  At  8  bells  I  directed 
the  mate  to  take  two  seamen  and  bring  his  boxes  up  on  deck. 
They  then  dragged  him  along  to  the  ladder  and  two  more  reach- 
ing down  seized  him  by  the  collar  and  drew  him  up  the  booby 
hatch  like  a  hunted  wolf  from  his  lair.  When  on  deck  he  stretched 
himself  up  in  his  pomposity  (he  stood  six  feet  high  and  was 
a  very  powerful  athletic  person),  and  said  to  me,  "Sir,  I  shall 
hold  you  responsible  for  this  treatment,"  and  he  called  upon  the 
passengers  to  take  notice  that  he  did  not  leave  of  his  own  will. 
I  told  him  I  very  well  knew  that,  for  he  left  her  at  my  free 
will ;  that  I  was  well  advised  as  to  the  steps  I  was  taking  and 
was  prepared  to  take  the  consequence.  I  then  told  the  mate 
to  go  on  and  obey  my  orders.  The  doctor  saw  a  whip  hanging 
from  the  main  yard  and  concluded  he  had  better  go  without  any 
further  resistance. 

As  the  boat  was  leaving  the  ship  the  passengers  prepared 
to  give  him  three  cheers,  but  I  requested  them  not  to  insult  him 
in  his  fallen  condition. 

This  affair  has  caused  me  some  uneasiness.  I  knew  that  he 
had  no  means,  and  I  gave  the  mate  two  doubloons  to  hand  to  him 
when  on  shore,  if  he  would  accept.  If  he  had  shown  any  desire 
for  reconciliation  or  had  made  the  least  apology  the  difficulty 
might  easily  have  been  settled ;  but  in  the  situation  in  which  I 
was  placed  I  considered  it  my  duty  to  make  an  example  of  the 
first  case  of  insubordination. 

I  was  also  much  relieved  by  getting  rid  of  rowdy  Stebbins 
in  this  place ;  he  had  got  into  a  row  with  some  of  the  passengers, 
at  one  of  the  dens  of  infamy,  and  thought  best  to  quit,  and  ex- 


4o  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

changed  with  Captain  N.  Newel,  a  passenger  in  the  brig  Canoni- 
cus. 

I  also  discharged  my  chief  steward  for  incompetency  and 
waste,  and  gave  the  situation  to  Mr.  John  Barker,  who,  with  his 
wife,  was  a  passenger  in  the  Ocean  Queen  from  Liverpool.  And 
having  replenished  my  stock  of  water,  provisions  and  fuel,  I  left 
Valparaiso  on  the  20th  of  August,  in  company  with  the  clipper 
ship  S.  G.  Owens  of  Baltimore,  and  the  barque  Montgomery, 
another  Baltimore  clipper,  all  bound  for  the  new  gold  regions. 
The  Widow  Lathrop  now  came  out  fresh  and  new,  and  resumed 
her  seat  at  table  at  my  right  hand.  She  took  especial  care  to 
look  neat  and  tidy,  and  to  a  stranger  might  appear  a  modern 
Octavia. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

For  some  time  past  I  have  contemplated  the  issue  of  a  weekly 
magazine  on  board,  as  one  means  of  counteracting  the  effects  of 
ennui  among  my  large  family.  I  fondly  thought  that  the  pro- 
ject would  meet  with  much  favour,  but  it  did  not  take.  At  last 
I  have  persuaded  Mr.  Moss  and  Doctor  Baldwin,  the  new  sur- 
geon, to  stand  as  editors,  and  some  half  a  dozen  of  the  pro- 
fessional portion  of  the  passengers  to  contribute;  but  from 
their  apathy  I  foresee  that  the  "onus"  of  the  thing  will  devolve 
upon  me.  Well,  I  have  already  on  hand  a  good  supply  of  mate- 
rial and  shall  find  amusement  in  hunting  up  more. 

On  Saturday,  August  23rd,  appeared  the  first  number  of  "The 
Emigrant."  It  consisted  of  two  sheets  of  foolscap,  closely  writ- 
ten out  in  full,  by  Mr.  Moss.  The  editorial  debut  was  from  the 
pen  of  the  Doctor,  and  was  a  very  good  opening.  I  had  to 
furnish  one-half  the  reading  matter,  and  among  my  contributions 
was  the  following  doggerel,  suggested  by  the  appearance  and 
conduct  of  some  of  the  green  ones  on  board: 

Simon  Spriggins'  Trip  to  California. 


As  late  at  home  I  sat  one  night, 
Reading  alone  by  candle  light, 

The  little  Orleannais* 
A  story  chanced  to  meet  my  eyes, 
Exciting  wonder  and  surprise, 

Of  gold  in  California. 

I  went  to  bed  and  dreamed  of  gold, 
I  waked  a  valiant  knight  and  bold, 

Strong  nerved  with  firm  bravado. 
Says  I,  I'm  off  in  the  first  ship, 
On  an  experimental  trip, 

To  glorious  "El  Dorado." 


♦Pronounced  Orleannia. 

41 


42  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

But  then  I  thought  of  friends  and  home, 
And  all  the  trials  that  must  come 

In  rounding  Patagonia. 
No  matter!    Gold's  the  talisman, 
Would  lighten  all  the  risk  I  run 

In  reaching  California. 

So  off  I  packed,  and  in  good  time 

The  fine  old  ship,  though  passed  her  prime, 

Safe  doubled  round  Cape  Frio. 
Straight  on  her  course  she  held  her  way, 
And  safe  and  sound  on  the  next  day 

She  landed  me  in  Rio. 

There  those  rapacious  Portuguese, 
With  tricks  of  trade  they  did  me  fleece. 

Scarce  leaving  me  a  stiver. 
And  glad  was  I  once  more  to  find 
Our  ship  at  sea  with  a  fair  wind, 

Which  speedily  did  drive  her 

Up  to  that  awful  tempest-torn, 

That  blustering,  stormy,  cold  Cape  Horn, 

When  bang!   came  a  sou- wester. 
The  old  ship  reeled  and  rocked  about, 
I  thought  she'd  turn  me  inside  out, 

Good  gracious!   how  I  blessed  her. 

That  storm  passed  by,  one  pleasant  day, 
Our  ship  pursuing  still  her  way, 

We  passed  Diego  Ramirez. 
Once  more  I  grew  so  brave  and  bold, 
Like  Richard  Third  we  read  of  old, 

Myself  again  I  am,  I  says. 

That  dreadful  stormy  Cape  is  passed, 
And  steering  north  we're  driving  fast, 

And  straight  towards  Valparaiso, 
Where  we  propose  to  stop  once  more, 
And,  passing  time  'twixt  ship  and  shore, 

To  spend  a  jovial  day  or  so. 


MORE  ADVICE  43 

I  thought,  in  knowing  how  to  cheat, 
No  people  on  God's  earth  could  beat 

Those  gentlemen  Brazilians ; 
But  now  my  words  I  must  recall, 
For   faith,  they're  nothing  after  all 

Compared  with  these  keen  Chilians. 

Once  more  at  sea  fair  winds  now  blow, 
With  flowing  sail  straight  on  we  go 

Directly  for  the  diggin's. 
When  once  I'm  there,  with  golden  ore 
I'll  fill  my  saddlebags,  as  sure 

As  I  am  Simon  Spriggins. 

The  first  number  of  "The  Emigrant"  was  well  received, 
the  reading  matter  was  various,  to  please  all  tastes,  and  the 
croakers  were  silenced. 

August  28. — The  southeast  trade  wind  is  blowing  steadily, 
and  the  old  Alhambra  is  dashing  along  with  all  sail  set,  num- 
bering in  all  twenty-five.  On  leaving  Valparaiso  I  shaped 
the  course  so  as  to  pass  the  Equator  in  about  Long,  no  de- 
grees. This  is  wrong  in  the  opinion  of  the  learned  Committee 
on  Navigation.  They  have  got  among  them  a  chart  of  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean,  and  they  tell  those  who  will  listen  to  them  (the 
number  of  whom  is  small  and  daily  growing  less),  that  I  ought 
to  keep  nearer  the  coast,  and  cross  the  Equator  near  the  Gala- 
pagos Islands.  They  say  that  Captain  Jones  in  the  Montgom- 
ery told  them  he  intended  to  call  at  those  islands  and  take  in 
a  supply  of  land  terrapin,  with  which  those  places  abound. 
And  they  had  no  doubt  he  would  be  in  San  Francisco  a  fort- 
night before  us,  "Nous  verrons,"  again  said  I. 

After  dinner  I  threw  overboard  an  empty  wine  bottle  con- 
taining a  slip  of  paper  with  the  following  memorandum   (my 
rhyming  propensity  would  not  let  it  go  without  a  squib)  : 
"Some  antiquated  sage  hath  said, 
When  speaking  of  the  human  head, 
That  wit  goes  out  when  wine  goes  in, 
'Twas  doubtless  so  with  this  black  bottle, 
For  through  its  dark  and  narrow  throttle 
The  wine  ran  out  and  I've  got  in. 


44  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

I  am  bound  on  an  experimental  cruise  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  the  set  and  drift  of  the  current,  having  taken  my 
departure  from  the  good  ship  Alhambra  from  New  Orleans 
bound  to  San  Francisco  with  passengers,  Lat.  130  15'  South, 
Long.  900  20'  West,  August  28,  1849 — a^  we^  on  board.  Who- 
ever may  pick  up  this  document,  is  earnestly  requested  to  send 
it  to  Lieut.  Maury  at  Washington,  U.  S.  A. 

Geo.  Coffin, 

Master  of  Ship  Alhambra." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Saturday,  Aug.  30. — The  second  number  of  "The  Emigrant" 
appeared  promptly  this  morning.  So  great  was  the  desire  to 
get  hold  of  it,  that  it  was  voted  that  one  of  the  passengers  should 
read  it  aloud  to  the  rest.  They  selected  Doct.  Clark  as  the 
reader;  he  was  just  out  of  a  Medical  College,  a  very  unassum- 
ing young  man,  who,  it  appears  to  me,  has  mistaken  his  pro- 
fession. He  should  be  a  minister,  his  modesty  would  not  do  for 
a  doctor.  He  placed  himself  on  the  capstan,  and  the  rest  of  the 
company  gathered  round,  some  standing,  others  seated  about  on 
spare  spars,  water  casks,  or  whatever  else  they  could  find. 

The  newspaper  contained  a  masterly  communication  of  his 
own,  in  which  in  a  style  of  the  keenest  satire  and  yet  in  such 
language  as  not  to  give  individual  offense,  he  cut  up  the  gamblers, 
and  completely  demolished  the  "Committee  on  Navigation." 
Among  my  contributions  to  this  number,  is  a  letter  from  Simon 
Spriggins  to  his  wife,  induced  by  the  favor  with  which  Simon's 
trip  to  California  was  received.  One  of  the  ladies  on  board  told 
me  that  that  was  not  original,  she  had  read  it  before  somewhere, 
but  she  could  not  tell  where.  As  Simon's  letter  was  read,  all 
hands  applauded,  and  the  well  read  lady  confessed  that  she  had 
made  a  mistake. 

Simon  Spriggins'  Letter  to  His  Wife. 


Oh,  Nancy  dear,  how  many  a  tear, 
Since  last  we  parted,  have  I  shed. 

I  fancy  you  are  crying  too, 
Oh,  dear,  we  might  as  well  be  dead. 

What  tempted  me  to  come  to  sea? 

I  knew  not  what  I  was  about. 
Alack  a  day,  what  shall  I  say? 

Oh,  that  I'd  taken  some  other  route! 

46 


46  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

Confound  the  trip!  in  this  old  ship 

My  life  is  never  safe  a  day. 
About  my  ears,  to  rouse  my  fears, 

Some  broken  spar  is  sure  to  play. 

And  then  these  gales,  my  spirit  fails, 

To  think  the  sea  may  be  my  tomb. 
Besides  that  leak!     How  can  I  speak 

Of  that  and  not  remember  home? 

Home!  dear,  sweet  home!  why  did  I  roam 
Away  from  you  and  my  own  Nancy? 

To  eat,  oh  grief !  salt  pork  and  beef, 

For  such  coarse  food  I  have  no  fancy. 

I  thought  not  once,  I'd  be  five  months 

Upon  this  California  trip. 
Oh,  what  a  fool,  a  "tarnal  fool," 

To  trust  myself  on  this  old  ship! 

If  safe  on  shore,  I  get  once  more, 

Not  all  the  gold  in  Feather  River 
Could  me  induce,  another  cruise 

Like  this  to  undertake,  no,  never. 

Now,  Nancy  dear,  dry  up  that  tear, 
Remember  you're  my  precious  diamond, 

And  I'll  prove  true  to  none  but  you, 
I  am   your   faithful,   loving  Simon. 

September  ist. — A  pleasant  day,  wind  westerly.  At  daylight 
this  morning  a  ship  was  discovered  on  our  weather  beam  steer- 
ing the  same  course  as  ourselves.  As  soon  as  I  had  looked  at 
her  with  my  glass,  I  pronounced  her  to  be  the  5".  G.  Owens. 
"Poh!"  says  one.  "That  be  hanged,"  says  another.  "Capt. 
Barclay  knows  better  than  to  take  this  route,"  said  a  third. 
"The  S.  G.  O.  is  a  thousand  miles  ahead,"  said  the  fourth. 
When  they  had  all  had  their  say,  "Nous  verrons,"  again  said  I, 
"and  that  right  soon  too,"  for  I  perceived  that  she  was  bearing 
down  for  us.  She  fell  into  our  wake  about  a  mile  astern  and 
sure  enough  it  was  the  Susan  G.  Owens. 

For  four  hours  we  had  a  most  interesting  trial  of  speed. 


A  TRIAL  OF  SPEED  47 

The  passengers  all  seemed  to  forget  their  ennui  and  ceased 
grumbling.  Sometimes  the  Owens  would  gain  her  length  or  so, 
and  then  when  the  breeze  would  reach  the  Alhambra  she  would 
at  once  resume  her  distance  ahead,  and  then  a  shout  would  arise 
loud  enough  to  frighten  the  dolphins  and  startle  Old  Nep.  him- 
self. 

Towards  noon  I  perceived  them  lowering  their  boat,  and  laid 
by  for  them  to  come  up.  Capt.  Barclay  and  some  of  his  passen- 
gers paid  us  a  visit  and  staid  to  dinner.  I  could  perceive  that  the 
Captain  felt  mortified.  It  seemed  he  had  told  his  passengers  in 
the  morning  that  he  could  beat  this  old  tub  and  spare  his  top- 
gallantsails ;  so  he  ran  down  to  show  them  the  sport,  and  they 
kept  joking  him  about  his  mistake. 

They  remained  on  board  till  4  p.  m.,  by  which  time  their 
ship  was  three  miles  on  our  lee  quarter,  and  I  was  obliged  to 
stop  my  ship's  headway  for  them  to  get  on  board  their  own 
craft.  Three  hearty  cheers  were  exchanged  and  we  parted,  and 
the  next  morning  she  was  hull  down  astern  and  I  anticipate  a 
little  to  say  that  I  reached  San  Francisco  two  days  before  her, 
and  had  been  there  ten  days  when  the  Montgomery  came  in. 

Sept.  4th. — Pleasant  weather,  sea  as  smooth  as  glass.  It  is 
a  common  remark  whenever  an  extravagant  story  is  told,  "Oh, 
that's  a  fish  story,"  whatever  may  have  been  its  origin,  it  may 
be  thought  applicable  to  the  story  I  am  about  to  relate.  The 
dolphin  (Coryphaena  hippuris)  is  the  most  beautiful  of  all  fishes; 
when  caught  and  lying  in  the  sun,  the  colours  of  its  skin  are 
changeable  violet,  green,  yellow,  blue,  orange  and  red ;  it  is  the 
marine  chameleon.  Ye  ladies,  your  most  costly  silks  are  not  to 
be  compared  with  the  fish  Coryphaena  hippuris. 

A  school  of  them  have  been  about  the  ship  for  several  days 
past.  Yesterday  I  threw  the  grains  (an  instrument  with  five 
barbed  prongs)  into  one  of  the  largest;  the  instrument  tore  out 
nearly  the  whole  of  one  side  of  the  fish,  which  came  up  adher- 
ing to  the  prongs,  but  it  did  not  reach  a  vital  part,  as  the  other 
half  of  the  fish  still  kept  swimming  along  with  the  rest  of  the 
school.  They  were  cannibals  for  occasionally  one  would  come 
alongside  of  the  wounded  one,  and  snap  off  a  piece  of  the  raw 
body,  still  the  poor  thing  kept  swimming  along  and  kept  his 


48  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

ground  with  the  others.  This  morning  they  were  still  sailing 
along  beautifully  on  the  quarter  and  among  them  the  wounded 
one.  I  watched  an  opportunity  and  succeeded  in  transfixing  the 
other  half  with  the  grains,  and  thus  ended  his  misery.  Fish 
eats  fish,  the  dolphin  is  the  greatest  enemy  of  the  flying  fish. 

The  southeast  trade  wind  grows  lighter  every  day,  and .  is 
now  very  faint.     Lat.  2°,  45'  So.,  Long.  1080,  30'  West. 

Sept.  5th. — I  have  now  reached  again  the  equatorial  region. 
As  in  the  Atlantic,  so  here,  the  revolution  of  the  earth  from  west 
to  east  causes  the  great  currents  of  air  which  flow  from  the 
poles,  to  acquire  a  westerly  direction  within  the  tropics.  As 
these  trade  winds  approach  the  Equator,  it  becomes  a  question 
which  shall  prevail,  they  have  each  the  same  driving  power  be- 
hind, and  cannot  retreat.  What  shall  they  do?  They  stand 
still,  facing  one  another,  and  it  is  a  dead  calm,  and  then  up 
they  go,  they  ascend  to  higher  regions,  where  the  earth's  revo- 
lutionary influence  is  less,  and  then  they  spread  to  restore  the 
equilibrium. 

Well,  here  I  am  now  within  the  field  of  this  silent  battle  of 
the  winds;  sometimes  a  thundering  black  cloud  will  come  driv- 
ing along,  darting  forth  the  most  intensely  vivid  forks  of  light- 
ning, and  looking  as  though  it  was  going  to  blow  the  Alhambra 
out  of  water,  but  it  is  all  rain,  and  rain  it  is  with  a  vengeance. 
For  two  days  past  I  have  experienced  a  southerly  set  of  current. 
Although  I  have  made  twenty  miles  of  northing  each  day  by 
reckoning,  yet  my  observations  place  me  a  few  miles  south  of 
my  position  on  the  preceding  day. 

I  wonder  how  it  would  do  to  adopt  the  plan  of  the  Irish 
schoolboy,  whose  teacher  took  him  to  task  one  day  for  being 
late  at  school.  "Now,  Maester  dear,"  said  he,  "dinna  be  angry, 
and  I'll  tell  ye  jest  all  about  it.  Ye  see,  sir,  the  rains  have  made 
the  bogs  so  slippery  that  I  could  not  come  along,  for  every  step 
I  took  ahead  I  slipt  back  two."  "Arrah  now,  ye  spalpeen,"  said 
the  master,  "and  dinna  ye  call  that  a  lie,  if  for  every  step  ye  took 
forard  ye  slipt  back  two,  it's  at  hum  ye'd  be  this  blessed  minit." 
"That's  jest  what  I  thought  meself,  yer  honer,  and  so,  ye  see,  I 
turned  me  back  to  the  schulus  and  made  believe  'twas  going  hum 
I  was,  and  that's  the  way  I  cum'd  here  at  all  at  all."  "Away 
with  ye  to  yer  stool,"  said  the  pedagogue. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Sept.  6th. — The  third  number  of  "The  Emigrant"  appeared 
this  day  with  the  following  editorial  and  what  follows:  We 
have  received  and  publish  another  of  our  friend  Simon's  effu- 
sions. We  are  sorry  to  perceive  that  he  appears  to  be  growing 
lugubrious,  and  somewhat  given  to  despair,  but  we  hope  the 
malady  is  only  temporary  and  that  he  will  soon  be  "himself 
again." — Editors. 

Simon  Spriggins'  Soliloquy. 


What's  this  absorbs  my  everlasting  thought, 

And  makes  me  dream  so  wildly?    Can  it  be 

That  I  have  left  my  comfortable  home 

In  search  of  golden  shadows,  but  to  meet 

With  cruel  disappointment?     I  can  dig 

As  well  as  most  men.     Shovel,  pick  and  hoe, 

All  these  I  have,  and  my  stout,  stalwart  arm 

Can  wield  them  on  occasion.     There's  the  rub — 

Occasion  may  not  offer — false  accounts 

Of  lumps  of  gold  and  glittering  golden  sands 

Have  made  me  quit  my  Nancy  but  to  die 

And  leave  my  bones  upon  the  Sacramento. 

Would  I  were  back  again!     I'd  till  the  soil, 

And  dig  potatoes,  or  I'd  drive  a  cart, 

And  earn  my  gold  more  slowly  but  more  sure. 

Fate!  what  a  fool  thou  'st  made  of  me,  but  then 

A  lesson  hard  I've  learned  and  I'll  improve  it. 

By  the  first  ship  I'm  off  for  Panama, 

Make  tracks  across  the  isthmus,  and  the  first 

Ship,  brig  or  schooner  up  for  Panama 

Shall  take  me  there  once  more, 

And  California  to  the  Devil  may  go. 

40 


5° 


A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 


An  Enigma. 


I  am  a  word  composed  of  eight  letters.  My  first  and  second 
express  a  man ;  my  third,  fourth  and  fifth  an  animal.  Put  these 
together  and  I  am  still  a  brute  of  the  male  species.  Now,  take 
away  my  first  and  second  and  add  my  sixth  and  I  am  again 
human,  and  the  name  of  a  Roman  hero  and  philosopher.  Then 
drop  my  third  and  add  my  seventh  and  this  ancient  hero  loses 
his  humanity  and  dwindles  to  the  minutest  particle.  Lastly  from 
this  particle  drop  my  fourth  and  add  my  eighth  and  you  come 
to  the  last  resting  place  of  all  flesh.  Altogether  I  am  a  san- 
guinary monster.     What  am  I? 

i  2345678 
[Answer.— HECATOMB.] 

Advertisement. — Wanted  a  few  degrees  of  north  latitude. 
Any  person  being  able  to  furnish  them  shall  be  installed  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Committee  on  Navigation.  Apply  at 
the  Surgeon's  office. 

From  this  time  "The  Emigrant"  languished  for  want  of  sus- 
tenance, it  did  not  appear  on  the  next  Saturday.  It  made  one 
more  effort  on  Saturday,  Sept.  20th,  and  then  gave  up  the  ghost. 
The  editorial  valedictory  had  some  reference  to  "casting  pearls 
before  swine,"  etc.  Simon  Spriggins  was  the  last  to  give  up, 
as  may  be  seen  from  the  following  from  the  last  number  of  the 
paper : 

Editors  of  "The  Emigrant,"  Gents:  I  have  to  thank  you 
for  giving  publicity  to  my  lucubrations  in  your  widely  circulat- 
ing and  most  valuable  miscellany.  But  I  am  sorry  to  perceive 
from  your  paper  of  the  6th,  that  you  have  applied  to  me  such 
an  outlandish  term  "Lugubrious."  What  does  it  mean?  I  can- 
not find  it  in  my  dictionary.  I  would  be  glad  to  make  a  rhyme 
to  it,  but  I  know  no  word  in  the  English  language  that  will 
jingle  with  it. 

Yours,  Simon  Spriggins. 

P.  S. — Oh,  yes,  there  is  one !     So  here  goes ! 


A   RIDDLE  51 

Simon  Is  Himself  Again. 


"The  Emigrant"  calls  me  "Lugubrious," 

And  says  I'm  given  to  despair, 
But  there  is  something  so  salubrious 

In  this  cool  bracing  northern  air 
That  hope  elastic  spreads  her  wings, 
And  stretching  forward,  thus  she  sings: 

Rouse  up,  friend  Simon!     Why  so  sad? 

Your  voyage  is  up,  away  with  fear! 
The  old  Alhambra's  not  so  bad, 

And  golden  California's  near. 

Your  saddle  bags  shall  yet  be  filled 

With  Sacramento's  glittering  ore. 
Your  doubts  and  fears  shall  all  be  still'd 

And  trouble  come  not  near  you  more. 

Then  back  to  Nancy  you  shall  go, 

Imagine  with  what  rapturous  bliss 
With  circling  arms  she'll  fold  you — so, 

And,  gracious  heavens,  what  a  kiss! 

So  soft,  so  fragrant !  such  a  wife 

Shall  make  you  all  your  toils  forget, 
She'll  sweeten  all  your  after-life 

And  you'll  be  happy  Simon  yet. 

A  Riddle. 
[From  "The  Emigrant."] 

When  Van  Amburg's  caravan  entered  Boston,  he  had  a 
phaeton  drawn  by  ten  horses,  and  these  horses  had  but  twenty- 
four  legs  altogether,  and  yet  they  had  as  many  legs  as  other 
horses;  how  could  that  be? 

This  riddle  puzzled  my  passengers  every  day  for  a  week,  the 


52 


A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 


female  portion  in  particular.  I  was  teased  for  an  explanation 
every  evening.  After  a  week  had  passed,  and  "The  Emigrant" 
had  died  out,  I  was  induced  to  relieve  their  anxiety.  "Ladies," 
I  said,  "horses  have  each  two  fore  legs  and  two  hind  legs,  con- 
sequently ten  horses  have  twenty  fore  and  twenty  hind  legs,  and 
so  the  mystery  was  unfolded." 

The  northeast  trade  winds  hung  so  far  north,  that  I  was 
driven  to  Long.  1380  W.,  when  the  trade  left  me  in  Lat.  280 
North  on  the  26th  Sept.  From  that  time  I  had  light  and  vari- 
able winds  mostly  from  north  to  northwest. 

On  breaking  into  the  after-hold  to  get  at  a  reserve  of  water, 
I  was  startled  to  find  half  of  the  casks  empty.  I  therefore 
thought  it  proper  to  put  all  hands  upon  allowance,  and  posted  up 
the  following  notice  on  a  bulletin  board  which  was  kept  at  the 
front  of  the  cabin  throughout  the  passage,  to  inform  the  passen- 
gers daily  of  the  ship's  progress. 

"In  consequence  of  the  loss  of  a  large  portion  of  our  water 
and  the  continued  prevalence  of  head  winds,  I  have  thought  it 
necessary  to  place  a  restriction  on  the  too  free  use  of  what  water 
remains.  Three  quarts  is  the  daily  allowance  in  the  navy,  and  is 
found  to  be  ample.  I  propose  to  serve  out  three  pints  to  each 
individual  reserving  three  pints  in  the  steward's  keeping  for 
culinary  purposes.  Passengers  will  provide  themselves  with 
vessels  and  attend  to  the  delivery  at  4  p.  m/" 

Contrary  to  my  expectations,  this  proposition  was  received 
with  favour,  and  gave  much  satisfaction;  everybody  had  water 
enough  and  some  did  not  use  their  three  pints. 

I  continued  to  struggle  on,  tantalized  with  light  head  winds 
and  calms,  always  keeping  the  ship  on  the  tack  which  would 
place  her  head  nearest  my  port,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
10th  of  October  the  coast  range  of  the  mountains  of  California 
came  in  sight.  The  night  following  was  calm.  At  daylight  a 
breeze  set  in  from  southwest. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Saturday,  Oct.  nth. — I  am  now  standing  in  for  my  port,  and 
1  have  no  chart  to  guide  me.  A  chart  of  this  coast  was  not  to 
be  had  in  New  Orleans,  and  I  sent  to  New  York,  but  there  was 
none  to  be  had  there.  Messrs.  Blunt  had  parted  with  their  last, 
without  taking  a  lithographic  copy.  And  the  charts  of  Govern- 
ment, which  should  have  been  the  result  of  the  famous  explor- 
ing expedition  some  ten  years  since,  have  not  yet  been  made 
available  for  the  navigator.  Shame!  eternal  shame  on  the  exist- 
ing Government!  Had  these  charts  been  a  guide  to  political 
distinction  of  your  party,  would  there  have  been  any  delay? 
Whig  or  Tory,  you  deserve  the  execration  of  every  American. 

I  tried  at  Rio,  and  at  Valparaiso,  but  the  great  demand  had 
swept  away  the  whole.  As  a  last  resort  I  applied  on  board  the 
British  frigate  Inconstant  at  Valparaiso.  They  had  none  to 
spare,  but  the  sailing  master  kindly  drew  me  off  a  hasty  sketch 
of  the  approaches  to  San  Francisco,  and  this  was  all  the  guide 
I  had. 

At  3  p.  m.,  civil  time,  I  got  sight  of  a  mountain  that  forms 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  entrance  to  the  bay,  a  fog  bank 
was  coming  in  from  seaward.  At  4  p.  m.  I  could  discern  the 
headlands  that  bound  the  "Golden  Gate"  on  each  side,  and  plac- 
ing my  best  helmsman  at  the  wheel,  I  stationed  myself  on  the 
topgallant  forecastle,  and  shaped  my  course  for  Fort  point,  the 
southern  boundary.  The  fog  came  along,  and  with  it  came  the 
session  of  the  Committee  on  Navigation.  I  stood  on  with  con- 
fidence. 

About  6  p.  m.,  Cumstock  came  forward,  and  servilely  saying 
he  hoped  I  should  not  take  offense,  "but  did  I  not  think  I  was 
too  far  south,  it  was  the  opinion  of  some  of  the  passengers  that 
the  harbour  was  further  north."  I  told  him  to  go  to  the  devil, 
and  give  my  compliments  to  his  associates  and  tell  them  to 
follow  him. 

While  I  was  yet  blowing  him  up,  I  got  sight  of  my  landmark 

53 


54  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

directly  ahead  half  a  mile  distant.  We  put  the  helm  slightly 
to  starboard,  the  ship  veered  gently  to  the  northeast,  and  a. 
rapid  flood  tide  swept  the  ship  in  through  the  "Golden  Gate." 
Having  advanced  about  one  mile  and  finding  good  anchorage  in 
ten  fathoms,  came  to  for  the  night.  The  passengers  gathered 
around  me  with  congratulations,  and  I  believe,  if  I  had  possessed 
a  taste  for  it,  I  might  have  received  a  warm  embrace  from  every 
lady  on  board.  Three  lusty  cheers  were  given  for  Capt.  Coffin, 
and  the  Committee  on  Navigation  was  unanimously  voted  a 
humbug  and  a  nuisance. 

The  next  morning  found  that  we  were  at  the  entrance  of  a 
magnificent  bay  extending  to  the  eastward  beyond  the  horizon 
and  from  three  to  five  miles  wide.  Saw  four  or  five  ships  at 
anchor  in  the  southeast  about  five  miles,  and  a  number  of  tents 
pitched  upon  the  hills  around.  A  high  steep  promontory  on  the 
south  shore  presented  a  picturesque  aspect,  on  all  sides  were 
distant  mountains,  the  cove  of  Yerba  Buena  was  hidden  by  the 
promontory. 

At  8  a.  m.  hove  up  the  anchor,  and  kedged  the  ship  up  on 
the  flood  tide  in  a  calm.  Ship  after  ship  came  in  sight  as  we 
advanced,  opening  out  by  the  promontory,  until  having  arrived 
abreast  of  it,  the  nucleus  of  the  future  capital  of  the  Pacific 
came  fully  in  view,  forming  a  semicircular  cove  about  one  mile 
across  and  half  a  mile  deep,  bounded  by  a  high  bold  headland  on 
each  side,  with  a  cordon  of  high  sand  hills  clothed  with  shrubbery 
in  the  background,  the  front  a  field  of  yellow  sand  studded 
with  tents  and  ships'  gallies  located  at  random,  a  small  space  in 
the  centre  having  some  little  claim  to  be  called  regular. 

Brought  the  ship  to  anchor  and  moored  her  in  a  good  berth 
and  unbent  the  sails ;  and  the  next  day  not  an  individual  was  left 
on  board  of  all  the  officers  and  crew,  mates,  seamen,  cooks  and 
stewards  all  gone.  There  was  a  great  rush  of  hotel  keepers  and 
"restaurateurs"  for  cooks  and  waiters.  They  bid  as  high  as 
three  hundred  dollars  a  month  for  my  black  cook,  and,  as  for 
Margaret,  the  poor  wench  was  fairly  bewildered.  She  was  beset 
on  all  sides,  and  came  to  me  to  know  what  she  should  do.  I 
selected  for  her  a  situation  in  the  family  of  a  gentleman  from 
New  England,  who  was  one  of  the  very  few  that  had  a  family 


HI  GH  PRICES  55 

here.  He  agreed  to  give  her  one  hundred  dollars  a  month,  with 
the  promise  of  all  his  wife's  cast-off  clothing,  if  she  pleased  her. 

Many  a  sheep's  eye  was  cast  upon  the  Widow  Lathrop,  but 
she  had  woven  her  meshes  around  the  mate  too  strong  for  him 
to  tear  asunder.  As  I  would  not  consent  that  he  should  keep 
her  on  board,  he  left,  took  her  on  board  the  brig  Arabian,  sent 
for  a  parson,  and  had  a  double-twisted  knot  tied,  which  was  to 
make  them  one  bone  and  one  flesh,  till  death  should  cut  the 
knot  asunder. 

And  now  Mrs.  Bogert  showed  herself  in  her  true  colours. 
Some  shoes  were  found  in  her  possession  that  had  been  stolen 
from  a  case  in  the  hold,  and  to  screen  herself  from  the  appella- 
tion of  thief,  she  was  obliged  to  confess  to  something  as  bad. 
She  said  one  of  the  sailors  gave  her  the  shoes ! 

Most  of  the  passengers  started  off  for  the  mines,  and  in  two 
days  they  were  all  gone,  except  Doct.  Tappe  with  his  wife,  fair, 
fat  and  forty,  and  the  little,  fat,  black,  sleek  dog;  they  remained 
on  board  a  fortnight. 

The  first  thing  that  struck  me  was  the  extravagant  price  of 
marketing.  In  this  region  where  cattle  were  last  year  slaughtered 
for  the  hide  alone,  beef  was  now  selling  in  the  market  at  fifty 
cents  and  pork  and  mutton  seventy-five  cents  a  pound ;  and  here 
where  vegetables  of  a  quality  superior  to  all  anywhere  else 
grown  yield  one  hundred  per  cent,  more  than  New  England,  I 
had  to  buy  potatoes  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  cents  per  pound : 
butter,  cheese  and  lard  one  dollar  each  for  one  pound ;  eggs  were 
ten  dollars  a  dozen  or  one  dollar  for  one  egg,  and  yet  numerous 
restaurants  were  crowded  with  customers. 

The  next  thing  to  notice  was  its  counterpart,  the  outrageous 
price  of  labour,  in  the  evening  of  our  first  day  here,  one  of  the 
passengers  brought  on  board  ten  Mexican  dollars,  which  he  said 
he  earned  by  ten  hours  labour  on  shore.  I  was  obliged  to  pay 
$2,500  to  discharge  my  cargo,  and  the  consignees  had  to  pay 
seven  dollars  a  ton  to  lightermen  for  taking  their  goods  on  shore, 
a  distance  of  half  a  mile. 

The  first  time  I  went  on  shore,  I  was  like  a  countryman  in 
London,  completely  bewildered.  It  was  the  rainy  season  and 
the  ground  was  so  soft  and  so  much  cut  up  by  the  constant 


56  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

stream  of  trucks  and  carts,  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  along 
without  sinking  up  to  the  knees.  I  perceived  that  those  who  had 
been  there  long  enough  to  get  used  to  it,  went  dashing  along 
in  a  pair  of  boots  that  reached  up  to  the  thighs,  neither  look- 
ing to  the  right  or  left,  and  seeming  to  think  that  the  dirtier  they 
were,  the  more  genteel  they  would  appear. 

Every  by-place  and  many  places  in  the  streets  were  strewn 
with  cast-off  underclothing,  for  a  fresh  supply  of  shirts,  etc., 
could  be  bought  for  less  than  the  cost  of  washing.  At  this 
time  merchandise  was  lying  all  about  in  the  mud  for  want  of 
warehouses.  In  the  principal  thoroughfare  the  sidewalk  was 
composed  of  boxes  of  tobacco,  and  barrels  of  rice  and  beans, 
and  I  saw  piles  of  chests  of  tea  and  bags  of  coffee  exposed  to 
the  weather.  In  passing  along  through  the  streets  I  hit  my 
boot  against  something  sharp,  I  scraped  away  the  mud  and  found 
a  bundle  of  mill  saws,  which  the  owner  could  not  spare  time  to 
take  care  of  or  else  he  could  not  be  found ;  and  this  is  the  case 
with  a  very  large  portion  of  the  goods  brought  to  this  anomalous 
place.  Bills  of  lading  provided  that  goods  that  are  not  called 
for  in  thirty  days  may  be  sold  at  auction  by  order  of  shipmaster 
or  consignees. 

The  rainy  season  had  found  the  market  unstocked  with  boots 
and  oiled  clothing.  I  heard  that  the  trader  whose  boots  held 
out  last,  sold  them  at  six  ounces  ($96)  a  pair.  I  sold  a  pair  of 
short  ones  for  $50.  I  had  also  a  number  of  suits  of  waterproof 
clothing  that  cost  me  in  Liverpool  7/6  per  suit.  I  took  them  on 
shore  one  rainy  day  to  a  clothing  store,  the  clothier  took  them  at 
$20  a  suit,  and  before  I  left  the  store  he  resold  them  all  at 
double  that  price,  and  I  believe  if  I  had  taken  them  round  ped- 
dling, I  might  have  realized  $50  for  each  suit,  for  money  ap- 
peared to  be  of  no  value. 

The  first  Sunday  in  San  Francisco,  I  attended  Divine  Services 
in  the  forenoon.  The  chapel  was  a  rough  boarded  frame,  with 
benches,  which  were  well  filled  with  a  heterogeneous  congrega- 
tion of  the  pioneers,  red  shirts  and  hickory  shirts,  without  coat 
or  waistcoat,  red  and  unwashed  faces,  hair  uncombed  and  stand- 
ing out  all  ways  like  the  quills  of  a  porcupine.  I  saw  only  one 
bonnet  in  the  chapel.     Many  of  these  rough-looking  parishioners 


SAN  FRANCISCO  57 

were  men  of  intelligence  and  respectability.  It  was  a  very  in- 
teresting service. 

In  returning  to  my-  ship,  I  passed  down  one  of  the  few 
streets  then  laid  out,  by  a  finished  house,  with  a  flower  garden 
in  front,  painted  straw  colour  with  green  blinds;  a  piazza  ran 
along  the  front,  under  the  piazza  stood  two  fashionably  dressed 
ladies  and  a  gentleman  in  earnest  conversation.  I  had  passed  on 
about  two  rods,  when  I  heard  a  violent  altercation  between  them. 
I  looked  back  and  the  ladies  were  transformed  to  she-devils 
incarnate;  the  man  was  just  coming  out  of  the  gate,  and  the 
women  were  in  a  great  rage,  swearing  at  him  in  a  manner  too 
vulgar  and  obscene  for  me  to  repeat  here.  The  most  genteel 
looking  house  in  San  Francisco  was  a  brothel. 

In  the  afternoon  I  went  strolling  about  to  see  the  wonders 
of  the  place.  The  eastern  portion  of  the  cove  was  a  sandy  level. 
Squatters  had  pitched  their  tents  here,  and  had  given  it  the  name 
of  Happy  Valley. 

As  I  was  standing  there  gazing  about,  I  heard  some  con- 
versation going  on  in  one  of  the  tents,  referring  to  Newbury- 
port.  I  pulled  aside  the  screen,  and  out  sprang  a  red  face  with 
a  bald  scalp.  He  seized  me  by  both  hands,  bawling  out,  "Why, 
Capt.  Coffin,  is  that  you?  Where  upon  earth  did  you  come 
from?  How  do  you  do!"  He  was  Capt.  John  Bradbury,  who 
with  a  party  of  Northenders  was  living  here  in  one  of  the  old 
artillery  tents. 

There  were  a  number  of  other  parties  from  Newburyport 
living  here.  They  held  on  to  their  lots,  and  when  the  city  began 
to  stretch  its  streets  in  this  direction,  this  spot  was  designated 
as  Newburyport  avenue,  and  a  mournful  avenue  it  has  proved 
to  some  families  in  that  city.  Here  the  cholera  and  dysentery 
raged  with  the  greatest  virulence,  and  it  was  here  that  Messrs. 
Carr,  Williams,  Tappan  and  young  Thurlo,  breathed  their  last. 

The  water  came  up  to  this  spot  at  this  time,  but  before  I  left 
California  four  streets  built  upon  piles  were  run  across  the 
cove  in  front  and  some  of  the  largest  commission  houses  located 
there. 


CHAPTER  XL 

After  Mr.  Higgins  and  Mrs.  Lathrop  had  entered  into  part- 
nership and  agreed  to  jog  on  cozily  together,  they  rented  a  small 
tenement,  and  she  set  up  a  millinery  with  some  goods  brought 
out  in  the  ship.  To  do  his  part,  he  obtained  a  loan  from  Mr. 
Moss,  and  bought  a  horse  and  cart,  and  entered  the  list  as  a 
drayman.  But  about  ten  days  after  they  had  become  one  flesh 
and  one  blood,  there  was  a  flare-up,  and  the  knot  suddenly 
snapped  asunder.  Higgins  went  home  one  evening  from  his 
day's  labour,  fondly  imagining  that  a  hard  day's  work  was  to  be 
rewarded  by  the  smiles  and  caresses  of  his  angelic  wife.  He 
hastened  to  bind  his  Rosinante  and  provide  his  supper  of  straw, 
and  then  hastened  to  the  enjoyment  of  his  own  evening  meal, 
but  a  cruel  disappointment  awaited  him.  He  found  his  home 
deserted  and  no  supper  cooked.  He  waited  patiently  some  time, 
supposing  that  his  wife,  faithful  partner  of  his  joys  and  sorrows, 
had  been  summoned  to  attend  some  wealthy  customer  whom  it 
would  not  do  to  neglect.  Eight  o'clock  came  but  no  wife,  so  he 
set  to  work,  made  a  dish  of  tea,  and  fried  his  own  pork,  and 
"solus"  ate  his  supper,  all  the  time  dwelling  upon  a  quotation 
from  Addison's  "Spectator"  which  he  had  heard  me  read.  It 
was  on  a  well-appointed  marriage. 

"Perpetual  harmony  their  bed  attend, 
And  Venus  still  the  well-match'd  pair  befriend. 
May  she,  when  time  has  sunk  him  into  years, 
Love  her  old  man,  and  cherish  his  white  hairs, 
Nor  he  perceive  her  charms  thro'  age  decay, 
But  think  each  happy  sun  his  bridal  day." 

Eight,  nine,  ten  o'clock.  He  became  uneasy  and  started  out 
in  search  of  the  Angel.  Fortune  directed  his  steps  to  a  low 
resort  nearby,  and  there  he  found  Mrs.  Higgins,  dear  Mrs. 
Higgins,  sweet  Mrs.  Higgins,  faithful  Mrs.  Higgins,  waltzing 
with  a  well  known  debauchee  who  has  a  wife  and  family  not  a 

68 


A    DIVORCE  59 

hundred  miles  from  Newburyport.  He  took  her  home,  more 
lovely  for  her  confusion,  and  once  there  he  seized  his  cartwhip 
and  laid  it  on,  without  being  at  all  particular  as  to  location;  he 
set  her  to  dancing  the  Polka  to  a  new  accompaniment,  and  every 
time  she  stopped,  whack  went  the  lash,  and  hop,  skip  and  scream 
went  Mrs.  Higgins,  until  they  had  between  them  raised  the  whole 
select  neighborhood. 

The  next  morning  she  complained  to  the  Alcalde.  Higgins 
was  summoned  to  court  to  answer.  But  what  would  his  plea 
avail  against  a  woman's  testimony  in  California  in  those  days, 
when  lawyers,  sheriffs  and  judges  were  all  corrupt  alike?  One 
glance  of  the  voluptuous  widow's  eye  was  of  more  force  than 
a  marriage  contract,  and  a  petticoat  could  carry  the  day  against 
all  the  breeches  in  California.  Judge  Terry  made  a  decree  an- 
nulling the  marriage,  gave  her  all  the  money  and  property  there 
was  between  them,  and  made  him  pay  the  costs  of  court,  and 
the  sheriff  seized  his  horse  and  cart.  He  came  on  board  the 
Alhambra  to  work  as  a  day  labourer  to  assist  the  stevedore  in 
discharging  the  cargo,  when  he  gave  me  a  full  account  of  his 
troubles,  sorry  enough  that  he  had  not  taken  my  advice. 

I  had  a  very  troublesome  time  and  task  in  getting  clear  of 
my  cargo,  on  account  of  the  great  number  of  consignees,  many 
of  whom  could  not  be  found.  The  freight  bills  were  paid  in 
advance  at  New  Orleans.  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  goods 
when  once  delivered  into  the  lighters.  The  lightermen  finding 
no  one  at  hand  to  receive  them,  would  leave  them  there  in  the 
mud,  time  being  too  valuable  to  them  to  waste  it  in  hunting  up 
consignees.  Many  things  were  lost  and  ruined  in  this  way,  and 
the  owners,  thinking  they  had  a  claim  upon  the  ship,  would  sue, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  employ  a  lawyer,  and  dance  attendance  at 
court  myself  to  save  the  ship  from  loss. 

During  the  winter,  we  had  frequent  gales  of  wind  and  storms 
from  southeast,  which  had  a  reach  of  twenty-five  miles  down 
San  Jose  Bay,  which  on  a  flood  tide  raised  a  very  heavy  sea,  and 
caused  much  damage,  by  ships  driving  from  their  moorings  and 
coming  in  contact  with  other  ships.  During  one  of  these  gales 
of  unusual  violence  and  duration,  the  ship  Canada  of  Nantucket 
drove  down  foul  of  the  Alhambra  and  I  was  obliged  to  lash  her 


60  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

alongside,  and  there  we  lay  side  by  side,  pitching  bowsprit  to 
the  water  for  two  days  and  one  night.  The  night  was  pitch  dark 
and  it  rained  as  it  knows  how  to  rain  nowhere  else  but  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  on  the  flood  tide  an  English  ship  came  driving  up 
against  the  force  of  the  tempest,  and  brought  up  across  our 
sterns,  her  starboard  bow  under  my  larboard  quarter,  and  her 
starboard  quarter  against  the  stern  of  the  Canada.  Her  bows 
and  quarter  were  both  stove  in,  and  in  a  short  time  longer  she 
would  have  gone  to  the  bottom,  but  the  tide  turned,  and  she 
drifted  off,  and  having  no  moorings  she  brought  up  athwart  the 
bows  of  the  ship  Xylon;  the  X.  rose  with  a  high  sharp  sea,  and 
came  down  upon  John  Bull  amidships,  and  the  second  time  she 
mounted  her,  crushed  her,  and  down  she  went  in  ten  fathoms. 

Finished  discharging  cargo  on  the  27th  day  of  December,  and 
on  the  30th  of  January,  1850,  I  sold  the  old  ship  to  the  Pacific 
Steamship  Company  for  $13,500,  having  previously  sold  all  the 
stoves  and  furniture,  boats  and  cooking  apparatus. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Being  now  at  liberty,  I  began  to  look  about  and  to  ponder 
upon  what  I  should  go  about  to  acquire  a  share  of  fortune's 
favours.  I  saw  others  speculating  in  merchandise  and  realizing 
a  profit  of  50  per  cent,  in  one  hour;  others  buying  lots  and  sell- 
ing again  the  next  day,  and  making  a  comfortable  fortune  in  a 
week.  But  I  had  not  the  courage  or  rather  recklessness  to  enter 
that  field ;  and  as  to  going  to  the  mines,  I  had  no  taste  for  that. 
I  elected  to  go  into  the  lightering  business  as  the  most  certain, 
if  not  the  most  genteel.  I  first  bought  a  scow  of  twenty  tons 
capacity,  for  which  I  paid  $1,300,  an  extravagant  price,  but  she 
cleared  herself  in  ten  days.  I  then  bought  another  for  $1,100, 
and  afterwards  a  smaller  one  for  $700.  I  had  thus  upwards  of 
$3,000  invested  in  lighters,  besides  small  boats,  lines,  etc.,  costing 
$500  more,  this  property,  thus  costing  me  $3,600,  would  not  have 
been  worth  $1,000  in  Boston;  but  when  I  state  that  I  had  sold 
the  old  ship's  long  boat  for  $1,000,  some  idea  may  be  formed  of 
the  strange  state  of  things  here.  As  an  instance  of  the  profit  of 
lightering,  I  have  to  say  that  one  calm  morning  I  started  alone 
in  one  of  my  lighters,  went  alongside  a  brig  from  Pernambuco, 
the  brig's  crew  loaded  her  with  coffee,  with  which  I  returned 
to  the  landing  before  breakfast  and  earned  $60  by  the  trip.  Had 
I  confined  myself  to  this  business  I  should  probably  have  done 
well  enough ;  but,  like  everybody  else,  I  was  not  satisfied ;  I 
grasped  for  more,  with  what  luck  will  appear  in  this  narrative 
in  due  time. 

Having  learned  that  small  craft  engaged  in  the  river  freight- 
ing business  were  realizing  enormous  freights,  $150  a  ton  to 
Marysville,  I  dove  headlong  into  that  business,  too.  I  bought 
a  ship's  launch  for  $600  and  put  her  in  the  hands  of  a  boat  builder 
to  lengthen  and  deck  over.  His  bill  and  the  expense  of  rigging 
made  her  stand  me  in  $2,600.  She  was  a  sloop  and  I  named  her 
Sophronia. 

At  this   time   San   Francisco   was  thronged   with   gambling 

ei 


62  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

saloons ;  these  establishments  were  fitted  up  in  a  style  of  gorgeous 
glitter  to  attract  the  unwary,  the  walls  were  hung  with  the  most 
voluptuous  pictures,  bands  of  music  were  stationed  in  a  small 
gallery,  and  a  bar  of  tempting  decanters  occupied  the  whole  of 
one  side.  The  games  were  generally  "monte"  and  some  of  these 
saloons  had  ten  or  twelve  tables  set  out  with  doubloons,  eagles 
and  gold  dust.  Many  of  them  had  as  a  presiding  genius  a  beauti- 
ful young  girl — of  course,  a  courtesan.  It  was  astounding  to  see 
how  crowded  they  were. 

At  the  "El  Dorado"  the  jam  was  at  times  absolutely  impene- 
trable. The  crowd  was  composed  chiefly  of  miners,  who  had 
been  compelled  to  cease  work  in  consequence  of  the  rise  of  the 
river,  and  to  see  how  they  risked  and  parted  with  their  gold  dust, 
and  how  little  concern  it  appeared  to  give  them,  opened  to  me  a 
new  leaf  in  the  book  of  human  nature.  Persons  who  had  toiled 
across  the  continent  in  misery  and  suffering  indescribable,  and 
had,  after  six  months'  travel,  at  length  reached  the  gold  region, 
and  dug  a  pile  of  the  glittering  yellow  ruin,  were  unable  to  resist 
the  temptation.  Blame  them,  my  children,  but  be  thankful  such 
has  not  been  your  fate.  These  were  the  victims  of  those  detest- 
able gamblers.  I  heard  many  a  one,  after  losing  all  he  had,  say, 
with  perfect  unconcern,  "No  matter ;  I  left  my  tools  in  the  hole, 
and  I'll  get  plenty  more  when  the  water  falls."  It  seems  that  it 
was  a  rule  among  the  miners  to  respect  each  other's  claims,  and 
if  a  miner  went  away  and  left  his  pickaxe  in  his  hole,  no  one 
else  dare  meddle  with  his  right. 

I  have  here  to  record  an  instance  of  legal  justice  in  California. 
I  sold  from  the  Alhatnbra  a  lot  of  crockery  ware  and  mattresses 
to  a  young  man  who  was  one  of  my  passengers,  of  whom  I  had 
formed  a  favorable  opinion,  and  who  set  up  an  eating  and  lodg- 
ing house.  As  he  did  not  pay  me  according  to  promise,  and  I 
had  reason  to  believe  that  he  was  about  to  clear  out  without  pay- 
ing, I  sued  him. 

The  trial  came  on  before  the  Alcalde's  court.  I  had  witnesses 
to  prove  the  delivery  of  the  goods  and  the  price  agreed  upon. 
After  hearing  these  witnesses,  the  Judge  put  me  and  the  defend- 
ant upon  the  stand,  and  after  I  had  told  my  story,  he  asked  the 
defendant  what  he  thought  he  ought  to  pay.    Now,  my  bill  was 


JUSTICE  63 

for  $480,  and  the  defendant  valued  the  goods  at  $130.  The  com- 
promising Justice  (there  was  no  jury)  added  the  sums  together 
and  gave  me  a  verdict  for  one-half  the  amount,  thus : 

Amount  of  my  account $480.00 

Defendant's  valuation 130.00 


$610.00 
2 1  $6 10.00 

$305.00 

For  this  amount,  $305,  an  execution  was  issued,  and  six 
months  afterwards  the  Sheriff  came  to  me  with  a  bill  of  costs  for 
$60;  he  said  the  defendant  had  absconded,  and  he  could  not  find 
property  of  his,  and  I  must  pay  the  costs,  so  that  the  account 
stands  thus :  My  bill,  $480.00 ;  my  lawyer's  fee,  $50 ;  costs  of 
court,  $60;  amounting  to  a  dead  loss  of  $590.  So  much  for 
justice  in  California  in  1849. 

Here,  also,  is  an  instance  of  swindling  in  this  place:  About 
the  last  of  January,  1850,  a  party  of  three  started  a  large  auction 
establishment.  They  mounted  a  sign  as  large  as  my  sloop,  and 
threatened  by  their  style  of  opening  to  clear  the  field  of  all  the 
other  auctioneers  then  existing.  They  had  been  under  way  about 
a  week  when  they  advertised  a  sale  as  long  as  the  maintopbow- 
line.  I  thought  it  a  good  opportunity  to  dispose  of  some  articles 
which  I  had  on  hand,  and  I  put  in  twenty-five  thousand  segars, 
two  barometers,  six  spyglasses,  and  a  number  of  articles  left  of 
the  Alhambra's  stores.  The  auction  went  off  in  fine  style,  bread, 
cold  ham,  tongue,  punch,  etc.,  was  profusely  provided,  and  every- 
body was  in  fine  spirits.  My  things  brought  satisfactory  prices, 
and  I  went  to  my  solitary  bunk  that  night  quite  relieved.  Set- 
tling day  (two  days  afterwards)  I  called  for  my  account  and 
found  the  store  closed,  the  monstrous  sign  had  disappeared, 
Besse  &  Co.  had  "absquatulated,"  and  that  was  the  end  of  that 
adventure. 

To  give  an  instance  of  vicissitudes  in  this  anomalous  place,  I 
will  cite  the  case  of  Finley,  Johnson  &  Co.  When  I  arrived  here, 
this  house  stood  foremost  of  all  the  mercantile  establishments 


64  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

in  San  Francisco.  They  started  early,  bought  lots  which  cost 
$20,000,  and  very  soon  afterwards  sold  out  for  $300,000.  They 
continued  about  eighteen  months,  when  they  failed,  lost  all,  the 
creditors  got  little  or  nothing.  The  head  of  the  house  returned 
to  Baltimore  broken-hearted,  and  died  soon  after. 

When  I  arrived  in  San  Francisco,  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of 
Ward,  from  New  York,  where  he  was  respectably  connected, 
stood  in  the  front  rank  among  the  merchants  of  the  city.  He  also 
became  mad  with  excitement  in  consequence  of  the  success  of  his 
early  speculations  and  extended  his  operations  beyond  what  pru- 
dence and  reason  dictated — but  prudence  and  reason  were  obso- 
lete words  in  the  vocabulary  of  California — things  began  to  go 
wrong  with  him,  he  could  not  meet  his  engagements,  and  bor- 
rowed money  at  ten  per  cent,  per  month,  till  at  last,  hard  pressed, 
he  agreed  to  pay  one  per  cent,  a  day  for  a  loan  for  thirty  days. 
On  the  morning  that  the  note  became  due,  the  report  of  a  pistol 
was  heard  in  his  room,  and  he  was  found  in  bed  with  a  dis- 
charged pistol  lying  by  his  ear,  and  his  left  eye  and  forehead 
blown  out.  The  day  before  was  Sunday,  and  he  had  officiated  at 
the  sacrament  at  the  Presbyterian  church. 

A  Mr.  Howison,  from  Philadelphia,  with  $50,000  at  com- 
mand, bought  a  water  lot,  and  placed  a  store  ship  upon  it.  His 
success  was  great  at  first,  and  he  went  on  and  built  a  pier  from 
the  ship  to  the  foot  of  Sacramento  street,  and  erected  ware- 
houses at  a  great  outlay,  hiring  money  at  the  usual  rate,  which 
was  ten  per  cent,  a  month.  A  reverse  overtook  him,  business 
took  a  start  in  another  direction,  his  rents  fell  off,  his  bankers 
pressed,  he  could  not  pay  up,  they  seized  his  property,  he  lost  all, 
became  dispirited,  took  to  drink,  and  died  alone  in  one  of  the 
stores  he  had  so  lately  built  in  the  full  expectation  of  soon  be- 
coming a  millionaire. 

The  world  will  never  know  the  distresses  of  this  place,  where 
all  is  bustle  and  hurry,  and  nobody  feels  any  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  another.  Many  a  poor  mortal  breathes  his  last  alone, 
without  a  friend  to  smooth  his  pillow  or  convey  his  last  message 
to  his  friends,  who  will  never  know  when,  how  or  in  what  place 
he  ceased  to  struggle  with  his  fate.  All  they  will  ever  know  will 
be  that  at  such  a  time  his  correspondence  ceased. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  few  days  after  I  arrived,  as  I  was  strolling  along  Mont- 
gomery street,  carefully  picking  my  way  through  the  bogs,  I 
was  accosted  by  a  person  calling  me  by  name;  he  was  dashing 
along  through  the  mud  in  boots  that  reached  to  his  thighs,  cor- 
duroy trousers,  a  fustian  coat,  hickory  shirt,  and  a  Mexican 
sombrero,  and  looked  like  a  dismounted  hussar.  He  was  Mr. 
Bard  Plummer,  from  Newburyport.  He  invited  me  down  to  his 
store.  I  found  him  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  with  two 
young  men  from  Boston,  under  the  style  of  Plummer,  Kieth  & 
Co.  They  had  been  established  about  seven  months  and  had  been 
very  successful. 

Their  store  was  a  rough-boarded  frame  building  about  fifteen 
by  twenty-five  feet,  situated  in  a  mud  puddle  near  the  foot  of 
Sacramento  street.  In  one  corner  of  the  building,  a  space  eight 
feet  by  ten,  was  partitioned  off  with  rough  lumber;  in  it  were 
three  bunks  or  shelves.  This  was  their  lodging  and  counting 
room.  For  this  miserable  apology  for  a  store  they  were  paying 
a  rent  of  $1,000  a  month,  and  this  always  in  advance,  which,  at 
ten  per  cent,  per  month  for  money,  makes  a  grand  total  of  $25,- 
000  per  year. 

Opposite  to  their  store  was  a  sheet  iron  store,  twenty-five  by 
forty  feet,  two  stories  high.  Messrs.  Everett  &  Co.  had  rented 
this  for  $60,000  per  year.  They  had  fitted  up  the  second  story 
into  small  counting  rooms,  which  they  rented  to  others,  and  the 
lower  floor  was  let  to  the  Collector  of  the  Customs  for  a  bonded 
warehouse,  and  their  receipts  were  $10,000  per  month.  I  paid 
$100  a  month  for  desk  room. 

Having  got  my  sloop  ready  for  loading,  I  placed  my  lighters 
in  charge  of  Capt.  P.  Thurlo,  of  Newburyport,  a  young  man 
whom  I  had  partially  brought  up  at  sea,  and  in  whom  I  had 
confidence.  I  made  arrangements  for  a  trip  to  Marysville,  and  I 
thought  if  the  traders  in  that  place  could  make  money,  after 
paying  such  enormous  freights,  in  addition  to  their  store  ex- 
penses, I  could  do  best  by  taking  up  a  load  on  my  own  account. 

05 


66  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

I  took  in  a  cargo  of  such  goods  as  were  suited  to  the  miners' 
wants,  and  a  deckload  of  boards.  My  invoice  amounted  to  about 
$2,500.  I  procured  one  lad  who  had  been  with  me  in  the  Ocean 
Queen;  he  was  to  act  as  mate,  cook  and  all  hands.  I  got  ready  to 
start  on  the  27th  of  March,  and,  having  written  to  my  wife  an 
account  of  my  proceedings  and  advised  her  of  the  compliment 
of  the  name  of  my  sloop,  I  left  my  letter  in  the  post-office  to  go 
by  the  next  mail.  Behold  me  now  master  and  owner  of  a  sloop 
and  her  cargo. 

I  imprudently  started  at  midday.  I  should  have  taken  the 
morning,  so  as  to  have  got  across  the  bay  before  the  daily  nor'- 
wester  set  in,  which  is  almost  as  regular  as  the  sunrise  from 
March  to  October.  It  commences  at  about  9  a.  m.  and  blows 
with  great  fury  till  about  sunset,  rushing  down  the  back  hills  and 
through  the  gullies,  carrying  along  clouds  of  dust,  which  fills 
all  the  stores  and  houses,  and  even  penetrates  their  trunks  and 
drawers.  The  wind  and  dust  in  summer,  and  the  rain  and  mud 
in  winter,  make  San  Francisco  a  pandemonium. 

On  getting  out  from  under  the  lee  of  the  high  land,  and  into 
the  current,  the  sloop  began  to  pitch  and  jump  like  a  wild  colt 
under  a  Mexican  horse-breaker.  I  had  as  much  as  I  could  do 
to  steer  her,  standing  in  the  cuddy  hatch,  and  holding  the  tiller 
in  one  hand,  and  the  main  sheet  in  the  other,  while  my  assistant 
was  busy  in  securing  things  about  the  deck.  A  violent  pitch  and 
jerk  snapped  off  the  towline  of  the  small  boat  astern,  and  she 
went  dancing  away  to  leeward  as  lively  as  an  egg  shell.  Here 
was  a  "pretty  kittle  of  fish."  The  sea  was  so  rough,  high  and 
short  that  it  was  dangerous  to  wear  the  sloop  round  till  I  could 
get  under  the  lee  of  Angel  Island,  about  two  miles  distant.  After 
an  hour's  work,  we  succeeded  in  getting  her  astern  again,  and 
steered  for  Pablo  Straits,  a  narrow  passage  leading  from  San 
Francisco  Bay  to  Pablo  Bay. 

Towards  night  the  wind  died  away,  and,  it  being  ebb  tide,  I 
anchored  about  seven  miles  from  the  city.  On  going  below  I 
found  six  inches  of  water  in  the  cabin.  Here  was  another  "pretty 
kittle  of  fish."  I  set  the  boy  at  work  pumping  while  I  bailed 
away  from  the  cabin,  and  at  about  10  p.  m.  we  succeeded  in  free- 
ing the  craft  of  water. 


A  ROUGH  TRIP  67 

We  then  turned  to,  fried  some  pork  and  potatoes  in  one  of  the 
Portland  patent  compact  miner's  stoves,  which  are  of  about  as 
much  use  to  a  miner  as  a  surplice  would  be  to  a  sailor  (a  miner 
wants  nothing  but  a  frying  pan  and  a  tin  pot),  made  a  cup  of  tea, 
got  supper  and  turned  in,  or,  rather,  turned  on,  for  my  bed-place 
was  a  shelf  so  narrow  and  so  close  to  the  deck  that  when  once 
there  I  could  not  turn  over;  if  I  wished  to  "tack  ship"  I  was 
obliged  to  back  out  and  get  in  afresh  t'other  side  to. 

It  came  on  to  rain  during  the  night  in  true  California  fashion, 
and,  my  ear  being  within  six  inches  of  the  deck,  the  pattering 
of  the  raindrops  sounded  like  a  hundred  Indians  beating  their 
tomtoms.  I  could  not  sleep,  and  my  busy  fancy  ran  over  my 
strange  career.  From  the  command  of  one  of  the  largest  freight- 
ing ships,  now  starting  on  a  voyage  of  uncertain  fortune,  in  a 
small  sloop  boat,  with  only  one  boy  for  my  helpmate  and  com- 
panion ;  a  wild  adventure,  but  hope  makes  all  my  privations  light, 
as  Simon  Spriggins  says. 

At  4  a.  m.  I  turned  out,  called  all  hands  and  got  under  way. 
John  fried  some  salt  pork,  and  at  early  daylight  we  sat  down 
to  our  homely  breakfast,  picnic  fashion.  I  enjoyed  it  much; 
a  good  appetite  kept  the  dirt  out  of  sight  and  made  the  coffee 
palatable,  which  at  any  other  time  would  have  seemed  like 
sweetened  dishwater,  seasoned  with  tobacco. 

At  6  a.  m.  we  passed  two  small  islands  on  the  starboard  hand, 
called  the  Brothers,  and  two  others,  similar,  on  the  other  side, 
called  the  Sisters.  The  passage  between  the  Brothers  and  Sisters 
is  about  one  mile  wide,  and  this  passage  connects  San  Francisco 
Bay  with  Pablo  Bay.  A  peninsula  stretched  out  from  the  coast 
range  of  mountains,  about  thirty  miles,  and  from  two  to  five 
miles  in  breadth,  separating  the  two  bays,  and  the  Brothers  lie 
close  to  its  western  extremity.  Having  passed  the  straits,  the 
course  turns  at  a  right  angle  to  the  eastward,  and  the  distance 
across  Pablo  Bay  is  about  twelve  miles. 

On  the  north  side  of  this  bay,  or  inland  lake,  are  several 
small  streams,  running  up  a  few  miles  into  the  most  fertile  dis- 
trict of  California.  Sonoma,  said  to  be  a  most  delightful  village, 
is  situated  on  one  of  these  streams.     This  village  sends  apples, 


68  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

pears,  peaches,  grapes,  etc.,  when  in  season,  to  San  Francisco, 
where  they  are  sold  at  prices  that  seem  almost  fabulous. 

Having  crossed  Pablo  Bay,  I  came  to  the  Straits  of  Car- 
quinez  (the  passage  leading  to  Suisun  Bay,  about  two  miles 
wide).  The  town  of  Benicia  stands  on  the  north  side  of  these 
straits.  As  the  tide  was  running  out  strong,  I  kept  close  in  to 
Benicia;  for  some  time  the  sloop  did  not  make  any  headway,  nor 
did  she  drop  astern.  I  put  a  paddle  out  to  sound,  and  found  she 
was  fast  in  the  mud.  I  ran  out  an  anchor  and  tried  to  heave  her 
off,  but  it  was  no  go;  the  tide  ebbed  away  and  left  us  high  and 
dry  in  the  mud,  which  was  so  soft  and  yet  so  stiff  that  I  could 
neither  wade  through  it  nor  force  the  boat  over  it. 

So  there  I  was  obliged  to  remain  all  day,  abreast  of  the 
town,  and  only  fifty  feet  from  the  bank ;  but  I  had  a  good  oppor- 
tunity to  view  the  place  and  its  vicinity,  and,  in  my  opinion,  it 
is  decidedly  preferable  to  San  Francisco  for  a  seaport.  The 
ground  rises  in  a  gradual  ascent  from  the  bank,  which  is  so  bold 
that  a  ship  can  lie  alongside  of  it  and  discharge  over  a  stage. 
Vessels  of  the  greatest  draft  can  pass  Pablo  Bay  without  diffi- 
culty, and  the  Government  is  about  to  construct  a  navy  yard 
here.  There  is  never  any  sea,  for  the  peninsula  before  spoken 
of  lies  between  this  place  and  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  and 
serves  to  temper  the  westerly  gales  which  are  so  annoying  there. 

If  the  proprietors  of  the  grounds  here  had  been  wide  awake 
at  the  commencement  of  the  California  race,  they  might  have 
given  their  town  the  start,  which  would  have  secured  the  im- 
mense trade  of  the  country ;  but  the  day  was  lost,  and  San  Fran- 
cisco, with  all  its  annoyance  from  dust,  mud  and  its  daily  hurri- 
canes, was  allowed  to  get  under  such  headway  as  must  always 
secure  to  it  the  advantage  of  the  chief  entreport  and  seaport. 

Opposite  to  Benicia  is  a  small  town,  nestled  in  a  lovely  valley 
backed  by  hills  which  at  this  distance  (three  miles)  looks  charm- 
ingly picturesque.  It  is  called  by  the  pretty  name  of  Martinez 
(Martenay).  After  passing  Benicia,  the  snores  again  diverge, 
and  we  enter  Suisun  Bay,  a  sheet  of  water  fifteen  miles  in 
extent,  with  numerous  marshy  islands  and  mud  banks.  The 
lands  around  this  bay  are  all  high,  and  in  the  eastern  quarter 
Mont  Diablo,  or  Devil's  Mountain  (the  highest  peak  of  the  coast 


SACRAMENTO   RIVER  69 

range),  overtops  all  between,  itself  a  mole  hill  to  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  rising  in  awful  snowy  sublimity  beyond. 

After  crossing  this  lake,  I  came  to  a  narrow  opening  through 
marshy  ground,  and  this  opening  is  the  outlet  of  both  the  Sacra- 
mento and  San  Joachim  rivers.  Advancing  through  this  opening 
about  two  miles,  we  find  the  latter  river  coming  short  round  a 
marshy  point  from  the  southeast,  while  to  the  northeast  extends 
a  sheet  of  water  four  or  five  miles  in  extent,  having  in  it  a  num- 
ber of  small  reedy  islands,  the  passages  between  them  all  leading 
to  the  Sacramento.  At  this  opening  on  the  right,  there  is  a 
space  of  two  or  three  miles  of  even  and  apparently 
good  ground,  and  here  I  found  three  buildings  and  four  old, 
condemned  ships  hauled  up  alongside  the  bank.  This  spot 
was  dignified  by  the  name  of  New  York  of  the  Pacific.  I  believe 
there  is  a  Boston  of  the  Pacific  somewhere  here.  I  perceived  a 
house  standing  alone  in  its  glory  away  on  the  opposite  bank; 
that  may  be  Boston.  There  is  no  possible  reason  why  a  New 
York  or  a  Boston  should  ever  be  built  up  here. 

I  steered  away  to  the  northeast,  following  some  boats  that 
I  knew  were  bound  to  Sacramento,  and  after  about  ten  miles  of 
circuitous  sailing  among  marshy  islands,  I  came  to  elevated 
grounds,  covered  with  large  trees,  and  here  commences  the 
Sacramento  River;  all  below  this  to  Suisun  Bay  is  a  basin  of 
"tule"  marshes.  Looking  away  to  the  southeast  I  can  see  the 
sail  of  a  number  of  small  craft  bound  up  the  other  river  to 
Stockton. 

The  Sacramento  at  its  mouth  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
wide,  but,  having  advanced  about  two  miles,  it  narrows  to 
five  or  six  rods,  and  here  begin  the  trials  and  troubles  of  river 
navigation.  Both  banks  are  so  overgrown  with  huge  oak  and 
sycamore  trees,  with  an  impervious  screen  of  underbrush,  that  it 
is  impossible  for  the  wind  to  find  its  way  through,  and  there  we 
lay,  entirely  becalmed,  while  the  tops  of  the  trees  are  dancing 
merrily  in  a  stiff  breeze,  and  we  have  now  invaded  the  region 
of  mosquitoes,  and  they  are  very  large,  savage  and  bloodthirsty. 
The  current  is  running  down  at  the  rate  of  three  or  four  miles 
an  hour,  not  a  breath  of  wind,  and  the  thermometer  above  100 
degrees. 


7° 


A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 


The  only  way  to  advance  is  to  warp  and  tie.  I  run  the  sloop 
alongside  of  the  bank,  tie  her  to  a  bush,  then  send  the  boy  ahead 
with  a  long  line,  which  he  makes  fast  to  a  tree  and  brings  the 
other  end  back  on  board,  and  then  he  hauls  away  forward  while 
I  stand  off  to  assist  and  coil  down  the  line,  steering  the  boat 
with  the  tiller  between  my  knees.  Having  dragged  the  craft  up 
the  length  of  the  line,  we  tie  her  to  a  bush  again, 
while  John  runs  the  line  ahead  again;  and  so  on, 
warp  and  tie,  warp  and  tie,  and  in  this  way  it  is  a  good 
day's  work  to  gain  three  miles,  for  nearly  half  the  time  the  warp 
line  gets  foul  of  some  snag  or  root  on  bottom,  and  it  has  to  be 
slipped  and  run  out  again.  Gracious  heavens!  I  exclaim,  and  is 
this  the  way  I  have  got  to  work  up  to  Marysville?  One  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  of  this  sort  of  navigation!  I  have  undertaken 
a  pretty  sort  of  a  job,  to  be  sure!  "No  matter;  gold's  the  talis- 
man," as  Simon  Spriggins  says,  "will  lighten  all  my  labors." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

April  2. — Warp  and  tie,  warp  and  tie,  warp  and  tie!  Sun 
shining  down  in  a  blaze  of  fury,  with  not  a  cloud  to  screen  his 
scorching  rays;  thermometer  no  degrees,  not  a  breath  to  cool 
our  frizzling  livers — and  mosquitoes!  oh,  my  conscience! 

We  started  at  daylight  this  morning,  and  in  order  to  lose  no 
time  in  cooking,  I  took  the  Portland  patent  miner's  cook  stove 
aft,  so  that  I  could  attend  to  getting  breakfast  while  the  boy 
was  busy  running  out  the  line  and  working  ahead. 

The  branches  of  the  trees  extend  out  over  the  river  in  some 
places  forty  or  fifty  feet  and  it  requires  much  caution  to  keep 
the  sloop  mast  clear  of  them.  As  we  had  just  passed  one  of  the 
largest  of  these  scraggy  branches  and  I  had  given  the  sloop  a 
sheer  in  again,  the  warp  line  gave  way  and  down  stream  came 
the  sloop  broadside  to  the  current;  the  masthead  caught  in  the 
branch  and  laid  her  down  upon  her  side.  I  seized  the  tiller  and 
overboard  went  P.  P.  M.  cook  stove,  breakfast  and  all.  Oh, 
delightful!  The  masthead  held  fast  till  the  inclination  gave  it 
a  chance  to  spring  clear,  when  up  she  came  again,  right  side  up, 
so  suddenly  that  John,  who  stood  looking  up  at  the  ominous 
branch  in  great  trepidation,  lost  his  balance  and  made  a  backward 
somersault  into  the  river,  to  look  for  his  P.  P.  M.  cooking  stove. 

Down  stream  went  the  sloop,  and  before  we  could  stop  her 
she  had  drifted  some  rods  below  where  we  started  from  this 
morning.  Labour  and  breakfast  lost  and  cook  stove  gone  to  the 
bottom  of  the  Sacramento,  there  to  remain  a  memento  of  the 
voyage  of  the  Sophronia.  We  had  a  frypan  and  coffee  pot  left, 
and  went  on  shore,  made  a  fire,  fried  some  ham  and  eggs,  and 
never  did  I  relish  ham  and  eggs  so  well  before. 

There  is  a  cut-off,  or  slough,  in  this  river,  which  saves  ten 
or  twelve  miles,  but,  being  a  stranger,  I  missed  it,  and  took  the 
main  river,  and,  after  toiling  a  week,  I  reached  the  upper  junc- 
tion. Here  the  slough  enters  the  river  at  an  acute  angle,  the  river 
half  a  mile  wide  and  the  slough  about  thirty  yards;  directly  at 

71 


72  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

the  junction  there  is  a  little  knoll  or  islet,  with  half  a  dozen  great 
sycamores  on  it. 

Against  this  knoll*  were  two  large  schooners,  crowded  in 
among  the  branches  by  a  six-knot  current,  and  just  as  I  was 
passing  there  a  third  schooner  was  emerging  from  the  slough. 
She  had  no  sooner  run  her  stem  out  into  the  river's  current  than 
she  flew  round  like  the  fan  of  a  windmill  and  drove  down  foul 
of  the  other  two,  and  jibbooms  and  mainbooms  snapped  off  like 
joss  sticks,  and  gaff  topsail  and  staysails  became  pennants. 

The  river  being  wider  here,  I  had  the  advantage  of  a  light 
breeze,  and  at  night  had  gained  the  enormous  amount  of  twelve 
miles.  On  the  12th  of  April  I  reached  the  city  of  Sacramento, 
after  fifteen  days'  labour  and  boiling  and  roasting. 

About  three  miles  below  the  city  is  a  ranch  or  clearing,  and 
here  a  German  by  the  unmerciful  and  unmusical  name  of  Schwartz 
had  squatted  to  raise  vegetables  for  the  city  market.  He  told  me 
that  last  year  his  receipts  were  $25,000.  Ten  thousand  dollars 
of  the  sum  was  for  watermelons  alone.  I  gave  him  $2  for  one 
about  as  large  as  my  head,  which  he  said  was  "too  mush  sheepe." 

I  have  omitted  to  mention  that  in  February  last  I  came  up 
to  this  place  in  a  steamer,  during  the  overflow.  At  that  time  the 
whole  city  was  submerged  to  the  depth  of  from  four  to  ten  feet. 
It  was  a  curious  sight;  the  whole  of  the  low  country  was  inun- 
dated and  a  vast  sea  of  fresh  water  extended  from  the  Sierra 
Nevada  to  the  coast  range,  and  the  river  was  only  distinguish- 
able by  the  lines  of  trees  along  its  banks.  Thousands  of  cattle 
were  standing  about  in  the  fields  in  water  up  to  their  bodies, 
awaiting  the  lingering  death  that  nothing  but  a  speedy  sub- 
sidence could  avert.  The  houses,  stores  and  tents  of  the  city 
appeared  to  be  afloat,  the  inhabitants  gazing  out  of  their  upper 
windows  upon  a  waste  of  waters,  and  moving  from  place  to  place 
on  rafts  or  skiffs  made  of  rough  boards  nailed  together  for  the 
present  purpose.  All  business  was  suspended  except  gambling. 
That,  fire  will  not  burn  nor  water  quench.  I  saw  a  party  in  a 
large  scow,  tied  to  a  tree,  surrounding  a  "monte"  table,  and  at 
San  Francisco  a  gambling  saloon  was  kept  open  during  one  of 
the  large  fires  and  the  games  were  kept  up  till  the  fire  reached 


WARP  AND   TIE  73 

the  building,  when,  between  the  smoke  and  the  water  from  the 
engines,  they  were  obliged  to  cut  and  run. 

At  this  time  the  levee  is  two  or  five  feet  out  of  water,  but 
large  pools  of  stagnant  water  are  to  be  seen  in  various  parts  of 
the  city.  Here  is  now  a  busy  scene.  The  principal  streets  are  so 
blocked  up  with  teams  that  I  do  not  see  how  they  are  to  be 
extricated  without  breaking  up  some  of  them  to  make  room  for 
the  rest.  The  horrid  jargon  of  the  teamsters,  nine  out  of  ten  of 
them  from  the  Western  States,  the  clang  of  the  auctioneers' 
gongs  and  triangles,  the  noise  and  confusion  of  the  crowded 
levee,  and  the  infernal  din  of  those  splendid,  those  gorgeous 
gambling  hells — it  all  outbabels  Babel. 

I  took  on  board  here  a  green  Yankee  boy  to  assist  in  the  game 
of  warp  and  tie,  and  started  again  on  my  wearisome  voyage. 
There  was  a  light  breeze  blowing  up  the  river,  but,  although  we 
were  sailing  along  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour,  still  I  could 
not  leave  the  city  behind;  it  seemed  to  be  following  me  up  the 
river.  At  length,  after  advancing  about  five  miles,  I  reached  a 
sharp  bend  in  the  river,  and,  warping  round  the  point,  I  lost 
sight  of  Sacramento.  I  had  been  sailing  through  a  most  abom- 
inable stench,  for  there  are  several  kraals  or  pounds  for  keeping 
cattle  to  slaughter.  They  are  butchered  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  and  the  hides  and  offal  are  left  there  to  putrefy  in  the  hot 
sun,  and  the  stink  is  almost  unsupportable. 

After  turning  the  point,  I  came  to  a  clearing  where  there 
was  a  small  house  half  boarded,  and  some  men  at  work  in  a  field, 
and,  seeing  some  cows  feeding,  I  went  on  shore  to  see  if  I  could 
get  some  milk.  I  found  the  party  was  from  Massachusetts,  one 
of  them  a  Dr.  Kittredge  from  Andover.  They  had  been  to  the 
mines,  and,  not  being  successful,  they  had  returned  and  taken 
up  this  "ranch"  to  raise  vegetables  for  the  market,  a  far  more 
certain  way  of  getting  gold  than  seeking  for  it  among  the 
streams  and  rocks  above.  I  expected  to  be  courteously  received, 
but  in  this  country  courtesy  seems  to  have  given  place  to  the 
all-absorbing  idea  of  getting  gold.  I  asked  if  I  could  get  some 
milk  and  was  crustily  answered,  No. 

I  left  the  doctor  and  his  associates  and  pushed  on  up  the 
river,  and  about  two  miles  further  on  I  came  to  another  clearing, 


74 


A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 


where  was  a  log  hovel  and  a  number  of  pigs  and  children  lying 
promiscuously  around  the  door.  A  pole  was  stuck  up  on  the 
river's  bank,  from  which  was  suspended  an  old  rag  having 
painted  on  it  the  word  "Meeluk."  What  upon  earth  is  meeluk? 
said  I.  John  thought  it  meant  milk.  I  stepped  out,  and,  thread- 
ing my  way  among  pigs  and  young  ones,  I  entered  the  hovel 
and  found  there  no  one  but  an  Irish  woman.  I  asked  her  if  she 
had  milk  to  sell.  "Who  bees  ye?"  says  she.  I  told  her  I  was  a 
weary  voyager,  etc.  "Oh,  yees,  to  be  sure,"  she  replied,  'Tse  got 
meeluk,  for  sich  as  ye  be,  but  ye  see  as  how  I  thought  ye  been 
one  of  them  infarnal  divils  of  meeluk  pedlars  what  comes  here 
fer  to  buy  my  meeluk,  that  is  as  good  as  any  other  woman's 
meeluk,  but  the  varmints,  they  mixes  chark  and  water  into  it, 
and  takes  it  down  to  the  city  yonder,  and  sells  it  for  Judy  Mc- 
Farragan's  meeluk,  and  they  shall  have  no  more  of  it,  for  I 
vallys  my  repitation  as  well  as  they  does."  I  gave  her  a  dollar 
for  two  quarts,  and  that  evening  I  had  a  luxurious  supper  of 
bread  and  milk,  and  this  much  I  can  say,  that,  whether  it  was 
Judy's  milk  or  her  cow's,  it  was  pure  milk. 

After  four  days  more  of  warping  I  came  to  a  point  in  the 
river.  Turning  this,  I  found  a  fine  sheet  of  water  one  mile 
broad  and  three  miles  long.  The  trees  grew  thinner  and  a 
gentle  breeze  was  allowed  to  fill  my  sails,  and  I  was  favoured 
with  a  respite  from  this  tedious  warping  business.  Having  sailed 
through  this  basin,  I  came  to  the  junction  of  the  Sacramento 
and  Feather  rivers. 

Here  are  two  "Cities"  standing  on  opposite  sides  of  the  basin, 
and  looking  at  each  other  in  a  spirit  of  rivalry  and  defiance.  They 
are  called  Vernon  and  Fremont.  In  the  hurry  to  build  cities 
these  two  ranches  started  in  the  race  together,  the  proprietors 
not  doubting  that  the  location  would  soon  make  another  St.  Louis 
of  one  of  them.  But  they  have  reached  the  acme  of  their  career, 
and  there  they  stand,  monuments  of  the  folly  of  speculators. 

Vernon  (Jehu!  what  a  name!  Why,  there  is  nothing  green 
within  fifty  miles  of  it!)  consists  of  three  hotels,  two  or  three 
canvas  shops  and  some  half  a  dozen  huts  and  hovels  and  a  great 
pile  of  lumber.  Fremont,  a  name  complimentary  to  the  Colonel, 
had  six  hotels,  about  a  dozen  other  buildings,  and  also  a  great 


■ 


TWO   CITIES  75 

pile  of  lumber,  and  can  also  boast  of  her  shipping,  for  the  old 
barque  Rio  Grande  lies  here  condemned.  Every  cluster  of  hovels 
or  tents  in  California  is*  called  a  city. 

It  being  sunset,  I  rounded  my  sloop  to,  tied  her  to  a  tree 
growing  in  the  river,  threw  myself  on  deck  and  slept  gloriously 
till  daylight.  This  is  one  of  the  few  comforts  of  California. 
People  stretch  themselves  at  the  roots  of  trees  and  sleep  soundly. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

April  20th. — Up  and  at  it  at  daylight.  Here  the  Feather 
River  branches  off  to  the  right,  and  up  this  river  lay  my  route. 
There  was  a  fine  breeze  blowing  up  the  reach,  and  I  went  on 
swimmingly  for  four  or  five  miles,  when  I  reached  another  short 
bend  in  the  river,  and,  having  turned  the  point,  I  lost  my  wind, 
which  could  not  find  a  chink  among  the  trees  large  enough  to 
send  me  a  cupful.  Then  it  was  warp  and  tie  again  for  ten  miles 
further.  In  this  operation  I  find  the  boy  I  took  on  board  at 
Sacramento  very  useful. 

I  then  came  to  another  city,  called  Nicolaus.  This  was  a 
ranch  belonging  to  a  Dutchman  of  that  name  who  found  his  way 
here  some  ten  or  twelve  years  since,  and  here  he  squatted  among 
Indians,  hunting  wild  cattle  and  slaughtering  them  for  the  hides, 
which  he  sold  to  ships  from  Boston  engaged  in  the  Northwest 
coast  trade.  Some  speculators  persuaded  him  to  lay  out  his 
ranch  in  building  lots,  worming  themselves  into  his  good  graces 
by  complimenting  him  in  the  name  of  the  paper  city.  They  went 
to  Sacramento  and  San  Francisco  and  found  fools  enough  to 
invest  here  at  $1,000  a  lot,  feathered  their  own  nests  and  "ab- 
squatulated." Now  poor  Nicolaus  is  in  a  fair  way  to  lose  all  in 
feeing  lawyers  in  contesting  the  titles  of  the  victims  who  had 
bought  and  paid  their  money  to  the  scheming  speculators. 

Among  these  victims  was  one  by  the  name  of  Everard.  He 
came  to  California  as  steward  of  the  first  of  Howland  and  Aspin- 
wall's  steamers.  On  landing  at  San  Francisco  he  opened  a  res- 
taurant, in  Portsmouth  Square.  His  success  was  astonishing. 
He  told  me  that  his  profits  from  that  small  establishment  were 
$1,000  a  week.  Restaurants  soon  became  common,  and  he  was 
induced  to  invest  in  this  new  "city."  He  said  he  spent  $20,000 
and  would  now  be  glad  to  sell  out  for  one-quarter  of  that  sum. 

At  this  place  I  found  Dr.  Tappe,  with  his  wife,  fair,  fat  and 
forty,  and  the  little,  fat,  black  and  sleek  dog.  The  doctor  had 
tried  his  fortune  at  Stockton  and  in  Sacramento.    At  the  latter 

76 


DR.    TAPPE 


77 


place  he  had  been  hunted  out  by  the  Nicolaus  speculators  and  had 
been  inveigled  into  spending  what  means  he  had  in  this  place. 
He  had  built  a  very  good  house  and  was  trying  to  keep  store, 
but  there  was  nobody  to  buy,  and  he  cursed  San  Francisco, 
Stockton,  Sacramento,  Nicolaus  and  all  California,  and  said  he 
was  bound  to  return  to  Peoria  as  soon  as  he  could  dispose  of 
his  investment  here.  He  had  dug  up  and  planted  a  small  patch 
of  ground  around  his  house,  which  he  called  his  garden,  but  I 
saw  nothing  growing  there  but  wilted  cabbages.  Hurrah  for 
sauerkraut ! 

Opposite  to  Nicolaus  is  a  rancheria,  or  Indian  village,  situated 
on  a  sandy  bar.  Their  wigwams  are  miserable  hovels,  showing 
the  want  of  any  idea  of  comfort  in  the  human  race  in  a  state 
of  nature.  These  Indians  are  the  most  squalid-looking  wretches 
I  have  ever  met  with.  They  live  principally  on  acorns  and  fish. 
They  collect  a  year's  supply  of  the  former  when  in  season,  and 
preserve  them  in  little  circular  enclosures  made  of  poles  standing 
up  in  the  ground  and  interwoven  with  reeds  and  covered  with 
thatch.    One  of  these  kraals  is  attached  to  each  hovel. 

To  catch  fish,  some  twenty  or  thirty  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren wade  out  in  single  file  on  the  sandbar;  the  leader  marches 
them  round  in  a  semicircle,  so  as  to  enclose  a  space  between  them 
and  the  shore ;  then  they  all  face  inward  and  advance  to  a  focus, 
beating  the  water  as  they  draw  to  land.  Two  men  are  enclosed 
in  the  semicircle  with  a  net  about  eight  feet  long  and  four  feet 
broad  with  a  stretcher  at  each  end ;  each  man  holds  one  of  these 
stretchers  and  when  the  circle  has  come  to  a  focus  they  dex- 
trously  slip  their  net  under  the  school  of  small  fish  which  the 
swarthy  wretches  have  frightened  into  a  compact  body  and  sweep 
them  out  upon  the  sand,  and  if  the  haul  has  been  a  good  one 
they  jump  and  leap,  whoop  and  scream  like  Bedlam  broke  loose. 

April  25. — As  usual,  a  sun  of  molten  lead  and  a  sky  without 
a  cloud,  or  the  least  particle  of  moisture,  so  at  it  we  go,  warp 
and  tie  again.  About  two  miles  farther  up  we  came  to  shallow 
water,  so  that  we  could  force  the  boat  along  by  poling,  and  I 
let  the  boys  try  this  method  of  locomotion  as  a  relief  from  this 
everlasting  warping  business.  But  it  was  like  leaving  off  work 
and  going  to  sawing  wood.    However,  we  got  along  faster,  and 


78  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

two  days  after  we  reached  the  "city"  of  Plumas  (about  ten  miles 
above  Nicolaus),  consisting  of  five  buildings,  three  of  them  tav- 
erns. 

This  place  was  a  part  of  the  domain  of  the  famous  Capt. 
Sutter.  A  young,  scheming  Yankee  by  the  name  of  Beach  got 
him  drunk  and  in  that  state  obtained  a  deed  of  this  ranch,  went 
below,  and  found  fools  enough  to  buy  his  lots  at  $1,000  each. 

One  of  the  taverns  was  owned  and  kept  by  an  old  man  from 
Illinois,  named  Robinson;  he  is  as  "deaf  as  an  adder,"  and,  like 
all  deaf  persons,  he  persisted  in  talking  for  his  own  amusement. 
He  emigrated  to  this  country  last  year,  with  a  wife  and  eight 
children,  the  four  eldest  of  them  daughters.  They  came  across 
the  plains,  and,  after  five  months  of  intolerable  suffering,  they 
reached  Sacramento.  There  he  fell  in  with  Beach,  who  persuaded 
him  to  take  a  share  in  his  new  city  and  build  this  hotel.  Just 
back  of  his  house  I  noticed  four  little  hillocks,  side  by  side,  in 
the  parched  and  arid  ground.  I  asked  him  what  these  were. 
Without  shedding  a  tear  the  old  man  replied,  "There  lie  my  wife 
and  three  of  my  daughters."  He  had  scarcely  got  settled  here 
when  the  typhus  fever  carried  them  all  off  at  once,  but  he  did 
not  seem  to  be  affected  by  it.  His  whole  soul  was  given  to  ped- 
dling out  rot-gut  liquors  from  his  bar  at  twenty-five  cents  a  glass 
and  peddling  hay  to  travellers  at  the  rate  of  $200  a  ton.  The 
girl  that  was  left  was  a  good-looking  lass  and  very  industrious, 
and,  I  dare  say,  will  make  a  very  good  wife.  This  was  probably 
one  of  the  old  man's  inducements  in  coming  to  California,  to  find 
a  market  for  his  girls.  He  has  succeeded  in  regard  to  three  of 
them.  They  will  never  cost  him  any  more.  This  "city"  will  also 
prove  a  failure. 

April  28th. — Started  again,  warp  and  tie  fashion,  and,  after 
tugging  up  the  dirty  river  about  five  miles  farther,  I  came  to  the 
residence  of  Capt.  Sutter,  called  Hock  farm.  This  is  a  fine 
situation.  The  corn,  wheat  and  garden  vegetables  were  in  a 
very  thriving  condition,  notwithstanding  the  grounds  around 
were  baked  as  dry  as  bricks  by  the  scorching  sun.  But  the 
Captain  keeps  a  colony  of  Indians  upon  his  ranch,  and  employs 
them  in  irrigating  his  lands  by  bringing  water  from  the  river. 
He  has  1,000  horses,  and  his  herds  of  cattle  are  numberless.  His 


HOCK  FARM  79 

house  is  a  long  one,  in  the  antiquated  German  style,  with  a  fine 
esplanade  in  front,  and  his  numerous  outhouses  form  a  little 
village.    He  was  at  home  and  received  me  very  politely. 

He  found  his  way  to  this  country  some  thirty  years  since, 
leaving  a  young  family  behind  in  Switzerland,  and  here  he 
remained,  never  going  home,  and  scarcely  ever  corresponding 
with  his  wife  for  want  of  communication.  He  obtained  from 
the  Mexican  Government  a  grant  of  a  large  territory  here,  and 
it  was  on  this  land  that  the  first  gold  was  found,  which  might 
have  made  him  the  richest  man  in  the  universe.  But  he  is  a 
weak-minded  man,  and  insinuating  schemers  have  taken  advan- 
tage of  his  good  nature  and  inveigled  away  most  of  his  prop- 
erty. His  family  have  lately  come  out  to  join  him.  One  can 
imagine  the  meeting. 

The  sight  of  this  farm,  with  everything  green,  the  trees 
thinned  off  so  as  to  admit  of  circulation  of  a  gentle  breeze,  was 
to  me  very  refreshing  after  toiling  a  month  upon  this  abominable 
river,  scorched  to  a  crisp  by  the  almost  intolerable  heat  and 
stung  into  mince  meat  by  the  unmerciful  mosquitoes.  I  was  but 
illy  disposed  to  resume  my  toilsome  voyage,  but  patience  and 
hope  is  my  motto. 

May  1st. — Through  the  open  trees  of  Capt.  Sutter's  farm 
comes  a  gentle  breeze  laden  with  the  perfume  of  a  thousand 
gorgeous  flowers.  The  corn  fields  are  bending  gracefully  and 
wheat  six  feet  high  and  now  turning  yellow  is  waving  like  a 
golden  lake.  Horses  are  racing  and  colts  prancing,  while  great 
herds  of  staid  and  sober  cattle  are  chewing  the  cud  of  resigna- 
tion. Indians — men,  squaws  and  papooses — in  files  are  marching 
to  and  from  the  river  with  their  cans  and  buckets.  Capt.  Sutter 
must  feel  himself  to  be  a  Nabob.  These  Indians  appear  to  be 
elevated  fifty  degrees  in  the  scale  of  humanity  above  those  I  saw 
at  Nicolaus. 

With  a  heavy  heart  I  bid  good  morning  to  Capt.  S.  and 
started  on  my  wearisome  voyage.  By  the  help  of  the  breeze  I 
advanced  about  three  miles,  when  I  turned  a  bend  and  once  more 
lost  my  breeze.  The  river  now  narrowed  so  that  the  branches 
of  the  huge  trees  nearly  interlocked  over  the  stream;  in  several 
places  they  had  been  trimmed  off  to  admit  the  passage  of  ves- 


80  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

sels  that  had  preceded  me.  And  this  must  be  the  grand  mos- 
quito manufactory.  They  are  turned  out  here  in  myriads  of 
millions,  and  they  are  perfect,  too.  Their  buzz  is  like  the  blower 
of  a  steam  engine,  and  their  sting  would  draw  blood  from  a 
rhinoceros.  Talk  of  the  Mississippi !  Why,  the  mosquitoes  there 
are  but  midgets  to  these  rascals,  and  this  mosquito  factory  ex- 
tends for  two  miles. 

In  the  middle  of  the  reach  the  river  bends  at  an  acute  angle, 
and  just  as  I  was  warping  round  the  sharp  point  an  immense 
tree,  torn  up  by  the  roots,  came  driving  down  the  rapid  current, 
took  my  sloop  on  the  weather  bow,  snapped  off  the  towline,  and 
she  shot  across  and  ran  her  bow  in  among  the  thick  undergrowth 
up  to  her  mast,  and  the  current  swung  her  stern  down  and 
wedged  her  in  so  as  to  be  inextricable.  We  could  not  see  where 
the  bow  was  until  after  two  hours'  work  in  cutting  and  clearing 
away  the  compact  mass  forward,  when  we  found  that  the  bow- 
sprit was  firmly  fixed  in  the  crotch  of  a  live  oak  tree.  We  were 
obliged  to  cut  away  a  huge  limb  to  get  her  clear.  At  length, 
after  the  hardest  day's  work  of  all,  we  reached  the  end  of  this 
narrow  pass  and  came  to  a  sandy  point,  where  we  tied  up  and 
went  to  bed.  It  is  singular,  but  during  the  nights  we  were  not 
annoyed  by  mosquitoes,  probably  because  we  did  not  use  any 
lights. 

May  2. — It  was  eight  o'clock  before  any  of  us  awoke  this 
morning.  The  sandy  shore  continued  up  the  river  about  a  mile. 
While  warping  by  this  mile  I  noticed  that  at  the  edge  of  the 
water  the  sand  was  full  of  shining  yellow  particles.  It  must  be 
gold  dust,  of  course!  We  went  to  work  scraping  and  rinsing 
like  any  old  miners.  Now,  thought  I,  the  goal  is  reached,  and 
Simon  Spriggins  would  not  be  long  in  filling  his  saddle-bags. 
But,  after  gathering  about  a  pint,  I  was  surprised  to  see  how 
light  it  was.  It  was  nothing  but  minute  particles  of  mica,  after 
all! 

The  sandy  beach  terminated  in  a  steep,  high  bluff,  with  some 
ten  or  fifteen  acres  of  level  ground  at  the  top  comparatively 
clear  of  trees.  Here  stood  a  large  building,  with  a  big  sign 
stretching  across  the  front  saying  it  was  the  United  States 
Hotel.     Near  it  was  another,  smaller  building,  bearing  the  sign 


ELIZA   BREWERY  81 

of  Eliza  Brewery.  I  thought  that  Eliza  must  be  a  bold  woman 
to  undertake  to  keep  store  here,  for  I  could  see  no  living  animal 
around.  But,  having  laid  my  sloop  alongside  the  bank,  a  long, 
lank,  gawky  individual  with  a  red,  freckled  face  and  coarse 
yellow  hair,  came  peering  over  the  bluff.  I  asked  him  what  place 
that  was.  "Well,  now,"  said  he;  "ain't  you  a  greenhorn, to  be 
sure!  Why,  I  kinder  reckon  as  haow  this  'ere  is  the  city  of 
Eliza,  and  a  tarnation  good  dinner  you  can  git  up  here  at  our 
haotel,  for  aour  Dan  keeps  it,  and  if  Dan  daon't  know  haow  to 
git  up  the  fixin's,  you  may  shoot  me  and  be  durned."  So  it  seems 
Madam  Eliza's  store  proved  to  be  the  City  Brewery. 

I  went  up  onto  the  bank,  and  back  of  the  hotel  and  brewery 
were  half  a  dozen  other  rough-boarded  buildings.  I  entered 
the  hotel  and  found  there  about  twenty  men  engaged  in  the 
absorbing  game  of  "monte."  It  was  dinner  time  and  I  took  a 
seat  at  the  table,  and  found  that  the  long,  lank  individual  had 
told  the  truth;  the  dinner  was  excellent  and  well  cooked,  and 
cost  me  only  two  dollars  and  a  quarter. 

Through  an  opening  in  the  trees  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  part 
of  Marysville,  my  port  of  destination,  about  two  miles  distant  in 
air  line,  but  seven  by  the  crooked  river.  A  little  steamer  came 
along  (a  ship's  launch  with  a  screw  propeller  at  her  stern)  and 
I  employed  the  skipper  to  tow  me  up,  which  he  did  in  an  hour 
and  an  half,  and  only  charged  me  $200.  But  there  is  a  rapid 
or  overfall  between  Eliza  and  Marysville  which  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  overcome  with  what  force  I  had. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Marysville  is  situated  on  a  tongue  of  land  at  the  junction 
of  the  Feather  and  Yuba  rivers ;  the  landing  fronts  the  latter, 
which  at  this  time  is  about  thirty  yards  wide  and  twenty  feet 
deep  in  the  channel,  but  in  the  dry  season  it  is  but  a  mere  gully, 
with  scarcely  water  enough  for  a  Joppa  wherry  to  navigate. 
Here  are  six  hotels,  as  many  gambling  saloons  and  about  twenty 
stores,  mostly  of  canvas.  Trade  was  brisk,  wagons  and  pack 
mules  continually  coming  and  going. 

The  upper  mines  cannot  be  reached  by  wheels,  and  merchan- 
dise is  transported  in  pack  saddles  on  the  backs  of  mules.  The 
muleteers  are  native  Californians.  One  man  can  manage  fifty 
mules.  When  the  first  mule  is  loaded  he  is  allowed  to  wander 
about  at  his  pleasure,  but  he  never  strolls  away  out  of  sight  of 
his  companions,  but  as  fast  as  they  are  provided  with  their 
burdens  they  march  off  to  make  room  for  the  next,  when  all 
are  loaded  up,  and  all  is  ready,  the  muleteer  sounds  a  peculiar 
whistle,  and  they  all  collect  together,  the  guide  mounts  his  own 
animal,  gives  the  word  and  starts  off  ahead,  the  other  animals 
fall  into  line  single  file,  and  off  they  go  as  regular  as  a  file  of 
soldiers.  A  mule  is  far  preferable  to  a  horse  for  this  kind  of 
work. 

I  laid  my  sloop  alongside  the  landing  and  commenced  trad- 
ing, but  I  soon  found  that  I  was  not  posted  as  to  prices.  I  fixed 
them  as  high  as  I  could  in  conscience,  but  they  were  never  re- 
fused, and  I  got  Mr.  Farish  (a  gentleman  to  whom  I  had  a  let- 
ter of  introduction)  to  fix  prices  for  me.  A  man  came  to  buy 
some  molasses.  I  had  three  barrels  which  I  had  bought  in 
South  France  at  80  cents.  I  asked  Mr.  F.  what  I  must  ask 
for  it.  "Two  dollars  and  a  half,"  said  he.  When  I  named  that 
price  to  my  customer  he  at  once  said  he  would  take  all  I  had. 
Tea  that  cost  $1  a  pound  sold  for  $2.50,  sugar  and  coffee  in  the 
same  ratio.  I  had  twenty  thousand  segars  (short  sizes)  that  I 
paid  $6  a  thousand  for,  and  I  sold  them  at  $20  a  thousand; 

82 


MARYSVILLE  83 

pick  axes  that  cost  $24  a  dozen  brought  $6  each;  a  crowbar 
brought  $8;  a  round  pointed  shovel  brought  $15,  while  a  square 
one  was  unsalable  at  $1,  although  it  could  be  so  easily  altered, 
but  nobody  had  time  to  waste  in  altering  shovels. 

It  was  now  the  haying  season  and  there  were  no  scythes  in 
California.  I  heard  that  a  trader  in  Marysville  had  half  a  dozen, 
which  he  had  the  conscience  to  ask  $100  apiece  for,  and  sold 
them  so  too.  But  that  is  no  wonder  when  hay  is  worth  $100 
a  ton,  and  is  to  be  had  anywhere  for  the  cutting,  some  wild  fields 
producing  three  tons  to  an  acre. 

Mr.  Farish  was  formerly  a  wealthy  merchant  in  Natchez, 
Miss.,  and  was  ruined  by  a  fall  in  the  price  of  cotton  at  a  time 
when  he  held  a  large  stock ;  so  he  came  to  California  to  retrieve 
his  fortune,  and  selected  Marysville  as  his  field  of  operations. 
He  has  done  and  is  now  doing  a  great  business,  having  obtained 
the  confidence  of  the  miners  by  his  honesty  and  fair  dealing.  His 
store  is  of  canvas,  twelve  feet  by  thirty,  with  the  ground  for 
the  floor;  and  his  goods  are  lying  promiscuously  about  on  the 
ground,  but  they  do  not  lie  long.  They  are  continually  employed 
in  fitting  out  wagons  and  pack  mules  and  taking  in  fresh  supplies 
from  below. 

Across  the  back  part  of  the  store  is  a  canvas  screen,  separating 
a  space  10x12  feet;  this  is  their  counting  room,  lodging  room  and 
kitchen.  Nearly  everybody  lives  in  this  way,  for  it  would  be  too 
extravagant  to  board  at  a  hotel.  On  a  counter  stands  a  pair  of 
small  scales,  nicely  adjusted,  and  a  pair  of  the  common  size  for 
weighing  groceries;  as  often  as  these  last  are  used  to  weigh 
pounds  the  others  are  required  for  ounces  of  gold  dust,  for 
that  is  the  circulating  medium.  Coin  will  not  answer  one- 
tenth  part  of  the  demand,  and  as  for  bank  bills,  these  shin- 
plasters  have  not  yet  made  their  appearance  on  this  side  of 
the  continent.  It  requires  practice  to  fix  the  quality  and  price 
of  the  dust,  and  this  is  one  of  Mr.  F.'s  good  qualities;  miners 
never  dispute  his  assay. 

A  few  days  before  I  came  here  the  trades  held  a  meeting 
for  the  purpose  of  protecting  themselves  from  the  boat  trad- 
ers, and  made  a  law  that  no  person  should  be  allowed  to  retail 
from  boats  without  a  license.    They  cannot  be  blamed  for  this, 


84  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

for  a  great  number  of  whaleboats  are  employed  in  bringing 
up  goods  from  Sacramento.  They  are  generally  owned  by 
three  mates  of  ships,  two  to  row  and  one  to  steer.  They  buy 
in  Sacramento  a  boat  load  of  such  goods  as  they  know  are 
scarce  here,  and  if  the  traders  here  will  not  buy  their  load  when 
they  arrive  they  turn  it  out  on  the  river  bank  and  undersell 
them.  I  am  doing  the  same  thing,  but  I  consigned  my  goods  to 
Mr.  F.  and  pay  him  a  commission  on  what  he  sells  for  me. 

Well,  the  5th  day  of  May  was  the  time  fixed  for  the  law  to 
go  into  force.  So  in  the  morning,  when  we  boat-traders  had 
get  our  goods  placed  on  the  levee,  the  sheriff  came  along,  ac- 
companied by  a  party  of  the  shop-keepers,  and  began  tumbling 
into  the  river  the  goods  of  those  who  had  not  paid  $500  for  a 
license.  I  knew  that  the  place  had  not  been  incorporated,  and 
when  they  came  to  my  pile  the  shop-keepers  had  surrounded  my 
stock  and  fancied  they  were  going  to  finish  me  at  once.  The 
sheriff  asked  for  my  license  and  I  coolly  asked  him  if  Marysville 
was  a  city,  town  or  borough ;  he  was  obliged  to  say  that  it  was 
neither.  "Who  then,"  said  I,  "has  any  authority  to  put  any 
restriction  on  trade?  You  are  but  an  assemblage  of  traders — 
people  located  here  without  any  power  to  make  any  municipal 
regulations,  and  I  have  as  much  right  to  trade  from  my  vessel 
as  you  from  your  tents,  and  you  injure  my  property  at  your 
peril." 

Mr.  Farish,  hearing  the  altercation,  came  out  and  claimed 
the  goods  as  consigned  to  him,  and  away  sneaked  the  sheriff 
with  his  posse  at  his  heels.  They  did  not  trouble  any  more  boat- 
men, who  all  went  on  trading  as  before,  and  swore  if  the  sheriff 
came  there  again  they  would  put  him  where  he  had  put  some 
of  their  goods,  overboard.  The  next  day  all  I  had  left  was 
bought  by  the  storekeepers. 

Towards  evening  they  are  obliged  to  burn  sawdust  and  peat 
in  their  canvas  shops  to  smoke  away  the  mosquitoes,  but  as  to 
the  fleas,  they  are  smoke-proof,  and  won't  be  driven  away  any- 
how. Rats  were  also  extremely  numerous  in  all  the  towns  and 
cities  of  California. 

One  day  while  I  was  in  Marysville  a  cold-blooded  murder 
was  committed,  which,  for  the  slightness  of  the  provocation  and 


A   PROFIT  85 

the  heartless  indifference  of  the  assassin,  must,  be  considered 
without  a  parallel,  even  in  California.  Two  friends  from  one 
of  the  Western  States  came  here  together  and  went  to  mining; 
each  one  took  up  a  claim  to  himself;  one  was  unfortunate,  the 
other  successful.  The  unfortunate  individual  borrowed  $50 
from  his  friend.  After  a  while  they  met  in  this  place.  The 
lucky  man,  having  "made  his  pile,"  was  about  to  return  home, 
and  demanded  his  money  from  the  other.  The  poor  man  had 
not  the  means  to  pay,  and  his  "friend"  required  that  he  should 
give  him  his  note,  payable  on  demand.  This  he  refused  to  do, 
supposing  that  the  holder  would  take  it  home  and  distress  his 
wife.  After  some  altercation,  the  lender  drew  a  revolver  and 
presenting  it  to  the  other's  breast  again  demanded  the  note,  say- 
ing, "Your  note  or  your  life."  The  borrower  still  refused. 
"Take  that  then,"  exclaimed  the  villain,  and  before  any  of  the 
passers-by  could  interfere  he  shot  his  victim  through  the  heart, 
killing  him  instantaneously.  He  was  immediately  seized,  under- 
went a  preliminary  examination  and  was  committed  to  the  prison 
brig  at  Sacramento  to  await  trial  at  the  next  session  of  the  court. 
This  did  not  take  place  for  two  months,  by  which  time  the  wit- 
nesses were  not  to  be  found  and  the  murderer  could  not  be  con- 
victed for  want  of  evidence.  It  is  a  common  saying  that  a  thief 
or  a  murderer  runs  no  risk  of  conviction  or  getting  his  deserts 
from  a  court  of  law.  Can  it  be  any  wonder  then  that  an  out- 
raged community  should  take  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  and 
punish  offenders  without  waiting  the  slow  and  uncertain  process 
of  legal  investigation?  The  safety  of  life  and  property  de- 
mands it. 

Having  disposed  of  my  goods  at  a  profit  of  $2,500,  I  left 
Marysville  on  my  return  to  San  Francisco  for  another  load. 
"What!"  you  exclaim,  "undertake  another  such  voyage;  you 
must  be  crazy,"  and  so  I  was,  and  so  were  seven-eighths  of  the 
people  in  California.  It  was  a  saying  of  the  black  Emperor  of 
Saint  Domingo,  Christophe,  "Hang  a  bag  of  coffee  at  the  gate 
of  Hell  and  a  score  of  Yankees  will  break  their  necks  in  the 
race  to  be  the  first  to  snatch  it  away."  The  first  voyage  I  went 
to  sea  was  a  very  perilous  one,  and  I  thought  if  I  got  safe  home 
again  nothing  could  induce  me  to  try  another,  but  I  had  not 
been  at  home  a  week  before  I  forgot  the  hardships  I  had  en- 


86  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

dured  and  the  risks  I  ran,  and  made  an  engagement  for  a  sec- 
ond. 

And  now,  my  trials  on  this  river  o'er, 

All  ending  in  a  gain, 
I'm  bound  to  try  my  luck  once  more, 
In  spite  of  wind  and  rain. 

For  the  rainy  season  is  approaching,  when  there  will  be  wind 
enough  to  drive  the  mosquitoes  to  Jericho. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

I  left  Marysville  on  the  15th  of  May  and  dropped  down  about 
two  miles,  where  there  was  a  cluster  of  about  twenty  houses  stand- 
ing on  the  bank  of  the  other  river.  This  was  the  City  of  Yuba. 
I  found  no  business  going  on  here,  nor  was  there  any  hotel  or 
gambling  hell;  all  was  quiet,  it  is  too  near  to  Marysville.  I 
found  here  my  friend,  Chas.  H.  Porter,  of  Newburyport.  The 
speculators  who  started  this  place  found  him  out  at  Sacramento 
with  a  brig's  cargo  of  lumber  at  his  disposal,  and  induced  him 
to  build  two  stores  here,  by  giving  him  the  lots.  He  built  them 
when  lumber  was  worth  $500  a  thousand,  and,  like  everything 
a  Porter  undertakes,  they  are  finished  and  decidedly  the  best 
buildings  in  the  place,  but  they  have  never  been  occupied,  and 
never  will  be  till  they  are  removed  to  Marysville. 

Four  days'  drifting  down  with  the  current  brought  me  to 
the  outlet  of  the  Sacramento,  and  after  two  days'  beating  through 
Suisun,  Pablo  and  Francisco  bays  I  arrived  once  more  at  the 
City  of  Wonders,  but  it  was  not  the  same  place  that  I  had  left 
six  weeks  previously.  It  seemed  to  me  that  the  number  of 
buildings  had  doubled,  and  that  notwithstanding  they  had  had 
a  great  fire  during  my  absence,  neat-looking  cottages  were 
perched  up  on  the  elevated  backgrounds.  A  substantial  wharf 
was  run  out  one-third  of  a  mile  over  the  flats,  and  two  streets 
had  been  built  on  piles  across  the  bay  in  front  of  Montgomery 
Street,  and  were  crowded  with  warehouses.  Montgomery  Street 
that  then  fronted  and  was  occupied  altogether  by  grocers  was 
now  in  the  center  of  the  city,  and  had  become  another  Wall  or 
State  Street,  most  of  the  buildings  being  now  of  brick  and  sup- 
posed to  be  fire-proof.  This  street  I  call  the  dividing  line;  it 
separates  the  solid  portion,  or  that  part  built  on  "terra  firma," 
from  the  superficial,  all  to  the  north  of  this  street  standing  on 
piles  driven  into  the  mud  flats.     At  high  water  the  sea  is  all 

87 


88  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

around  and  under  these  streets  and  buildings,  and  when  the  tide 
is  out  the  effluvia  from  the  mud,  growing  worse  every  day  from 
the  deposit  of  filth  and  offal,  is  most  abominable. 

When  I  fitted  up  the  Sophronia  I  had  to  do  with  a  black- 
smith whose  shop  stood  at  the  water's  edge  at  the  foot  of  Clay 
Street.  I  left  his  bill  unpaid,  and  now  I  tried  to  find  him,  but 
he  had  been  burnt  out  in  the  fire,  and  amid  the  confusion  now 
going  on  in  rebuilding  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  hit  upon  an 
old  location.  At  last  I  saw  his  jolly,  rubicund  face,  overseeing 
the  erection  of  a  new  building.  "Hello!"  says  I,  "and  so  you've 
moved  further  up  town  it  seems."  "No,"  said  he,  "confound 
the  town,  it  has  moved  farther  out,  and  now  Othello's  occupa- 
tion's gone."  This  was  literally  true.  Another  blacksmith  had 
established  himself  away  down  on  Long  Wharf,  and  had  cut  off 
my  friend's  run  of  business,  and  he  said  he  must  try  his  luck  at 
something  else. 

On  my  return  I  found  Messrs.  Plummer  and  Kieth  in  sorrow 
and  gloom  on  account  of  the  melancholy  end  of  their  former 
associate,  Mr.  Stickney,  a  young  gentleman  from  Boston.  He 
retired  from  the  concern  in  February  and  returned  home,  taking 
with  him  $25,000  as  his  share  of  a  nine  months'  business.  The 
next  day  after  he  arrived  home  he  was  found  drowned  in  the 
mill  pond.  His  young  wife  greeted  him  on  his  arrival  with  the 
present  of  her  first  born;  he  had  a  rare  prospect  of  happiness 
before  him,  but,  strange  freak  of  human  nature,  he  could  not 
bear  his  prosperity  and  committed  suicide. 

I  learn  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bogert  have  separated  and  Mrs. 
B.  is  now  keeping  house  for  a  bachelor. 

Young  Tillman,  too,  had  left  his  laughing  wife  and  gone  to 
Trinity  river,  driven  mad  by  his  unfounded  and  foolish  jealousy. 
I  learn,  too,  that  the  widow  Johnson  soon  found  a  solace  for 
her  wounded  heart  in  the  arms  of  another  husband.  But  oh ! 
the  fickleness  of  fortune  and  womankind !  The  sweet  solace 
soon  soured.  They  found  they  could  not  pull  together,  and  so 
concluded  they  had  better  pull  apart.  The  husband,  a  brawny 
Dutchman,  has  gone  about  his  business,  and  "Mine  Vrow"  is 
now  keeping  a  doubtful  resort.  Still  another  domestic  squabble. 
Capt.  White  and  his  little  Spanish  wife,  whom  I  took  on  board 


CONFLAGRATION  89 

the  Alhambra  at  Rio  Janeiro,  have  had  a  flare  up.  He  squatted 
in  "Happy  Valley,"  built  himself  a  comfortable  house  and  a 
small  vessel  for  the  river  trade.  But  he  found  his  better  half 
unfaithful,  and  they  too  separated. 

Mr.  Ladd  had  built  himself  a  comfortable  cottage  up  on  the 
background  and  was  living  very  prettily.  Mrs.  Lane  and  Mrs. 
Cumstock  were  coining  money  by  use  of  the  needle.  Ladies' 
fingers  were  talismans.  The  houses,  instead  of  being  lathed  and 
plastered,  were  lined  with  cotton  cloth,  and  the  demand  for 
women  to  sew  the  breadths  together  could  not  be  supplied.  To 
run  two  breadths  together,  the  charge  was  the  price  of  the  cloth. 
John  Barker  and  his  wife  set  up  a  laundry,  and  had  as  much 
as  they  could  do  at  $6  a  dozen. 

I  have  said  that  a  destructive  conflagration  had  consumed 
a  large  portion  of  the  city  during  my  absence  up  the  river.  This 
was  the  second  devastating  fire  that  had  occurred.  The  first 
was  on  the  27th  of  December,  1849.  ^  was  then  the  rainy 
season,  yet  still  wet  as  everything  was,  upwards  of  two  hundred 
buildings,  such  as  they  were,  were  swept  off  in  two  hours ;  there 
were  then  no  fire  engines.  The  last  fire  was  on  the  night  of 
the  3rd  of  May.  It  took  in  the  southwestern  section  of  the  city, 
and  burnt  down  about  three  hundred  buildings  and  tents,  but 
did  not  reach  the  merchants'  warehouses. 

But  I  have  now  to  record  a  scene  of  conflagration  that  no 
pen  can  adequately  describe,  and  my  attempt  compared  to  the 
reality  will  be  a  firecracker  to  a  volcanic  eruption.  It  hap- 
pened on  the  13th  of  June,  1850.  It  was  mail  day,  and  I  had 
gone  early  to  the  postoffice  to  deposit  my  letters.  The  postoffice, 
for  the  convenience  of  the  public,  had  been  perched  away  up  on 
the  back  hill  half  a  mile  from  Montgomery  Street,  and  over- 
looked every  other  building  in  the  city.  It  was  to  open  at  8 
a.  m.  I  arrived  at  half-past  seven  and  found  there  two  long 
lines  of  waiting  depositors  extending  from  the  two  windows  in 
single  file  some  eight  or  ten  rods  down  the  hill. 

Just  as  the  window  slides  were  drawn  the  alarm  bell  of  the 
Montgomery  engine  house  rang  out  its  frightful  ding-dong- 
clang.  Looking  down  the  hill  I  saw  a  volume  of  black  smoke 
bursting  out  of  the  bakery  of  the  "Sacramento  House"  (a  large 


9° 


A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 


hotel  that  stood  on  the  eastern  side  of  Portsmouth  Square). 
In  an  instant  that  square  was  a  dense  mass  of  human  beings. 
The  postoffice  files  were  broken  "instanter" ;  engine  men  and 
traders  dashed  down  the  hill  like  an  avalanche.  I  deposited  my 
letters  and  started  to  assist  my  friends,  Plummer  and  Kieth. 
Certainly  fifteen  minutes  had  not  elapsed  when,  through  smoke 
and  fire  and  confusion  indescribable,  I  reached  their  store  just 
in  time  to  assist  Mr.  Kieth  in  removing  a  chest  containing 
$30,000  in  gold  dust.  It  was  a  lug,  but  we  managed  to  drag  it 
down  on  to  the  lower  end  of  Howison's  pier,  where  it  could  be 
thrown  overboard  as  a  last  resort. 

The  fiery  northwester  had  commenced  earlier  than  usual, 
and  the  leaping  flames  had  seemed  to  seize  every  building  in  its 
range  at  once,  and  it  was  at  once  seen  that  nothing  could  stay 
the  furious  element.  A  fire  engine  was  of  no  more  use  than 
an  old  maid's  teapot. 

Leaving  Mr.  Kieth  mounted  on  his  box  of  gold  dust,  I  went 
over  to  Long  Wharf  to  look  out  for  my  sloop,  which  lay  there, 
among  about  fifty  other  small  craft,  in  the  mud  with  no  water 
within  a  cable's  length.  Between  the  pier  and  wharf  the  com- 
munication was  by  a  narrow  causeway  in  front  of  tne  large 
building  of  the  Pacific  Steamship  Company  and  another  large 
building  occupied  by  the  military  quartermaster.  The  former 
was  in  flames  and  a  posse  of  men  were  engaged  in  the  futile 
attempt  to  save  the  merchandise  stored  there  by  throwing  it  into 
the  dock,  where  it  was  all  burnt  up  before  the  flood  tide 
came  in. 

By  great  exertion  I  forced  my  way  through  the  confusion, 
and  smoked  and  scorched  I  reached  my  sloop,  just  as  a  car-man 
came  driving  furiously  down  the  wharf  and  dumped  a  large  mil- 
itary chest  at  my  feet,  and  drove  as  furiously  back.  I  looked 
at  the  box  and  saw  that  it  was  marked  "gunpowder."  I  gave 
the  alarm  and  two  or  three  of  my  neighbouring  boatmen  coming 
to  my  assistance,  we  pitched  it  overboard  and  buried  it  in  the 
mud.  I  then  cut  my  sloop  sails  from  the  spars  and  put  them 
under  deck,  and,  jumping  into  the  dock,  with  my  shovel  I 
covered  her  decks  with  soft  mud. 

The  quartermaster's  warehouse  was  said  to  contain  five  thou- 


CONFLAGRATION  91 

sand  stands  of  loaded  muskets;  the  constant  discharging  of 
these  muskets  would  at  any  other  time  have  sounded  like  a  mili- 
tary engagement,  but  amid  the  roar  of  this  awful  conflagration 
they  were  not  heard,  though  from  where  I  stood,  within  fifty 
yards  of  the  building,  the  rapid  and  constant  succession  of 
flashes  showed  that  they  were  being  discharged.  Now  this  was 
a  nervous  situation,  but  fortunately  no  one  was  injured  from 
that  source  of  danger.  Our  escape  was  owing  to  the  fact  that 
these  muskets  were  fitted  perpendicular  in  racks,  so  that  the 
balls  were  thrown  out  in  an  elevated  direction. 

Portsmouth  Square  formed  the  south  side  of  an  extensive 
range  of  blocks  of  buildings,  with  Clay  Street  for  the  east  and 
Washington  for  the  west  sides  and  Montgomery  Street  on  the 
north.  From  the  Sacramento  House  the  flames  leaped  to  the 
roof  of  the  City  Hotel,  which  made  the  corner  of  the  square 
with  Clay  Street;  from  thence  they  threw  their  dreadful  arms 
of  destruction  down  Clay  to  Montgomery,  and  leaped  from  hotel 
to  hotel  along  the  square  to  the  El  Dorado,  which  formed  the 
corner  of  the  square  with  Washington  Street.  Down  this  street 
they  ran  in  mad  career  to  Montgomery  and  along  Montgomery 
to  Clay,  enclosing  a  space  of  ten  acres  thickly  studded  with 
warehouses  filled  with  valuable  merchandise.  The  whole  of  this 
mass  seemed  to  burst  into  flames  at  once,  like  so  many  monster 
stacks. of  straw;  all  was  clear  at  the  head  of  the  wharf  and  a 
hundred  feet  of  the  wharf  itself  was  burnt.  The  wharf  was 
a  continuation  of  Clay  Street,  and  about  five  hundred  of  us  were 
thus  cut  off  from  communication  with  the  city,  and  we  had  noth- 
ing to  do  but  stand  and  gaze  at  the  devouring  monster,  who 
at  every  blast  of  the  hurricane  came  surging  down  the  wharf 
in  clouds  of  smoke  and  cinders,  obliging  us  to  lie  flat  on  our 
faces. 

The  fire  had  now  reached  the  extensive  premises  of  Sim- 
mons, Hutchinson  &  Co.,  S.  H.  Williams  &  Co.,  and  McCondray 
&  Co.  These  were  the  three  most  important  mercantile  houses 
in  the  city,  and  the  merchandise  in  these  warehouses  was  of 
immense  value;  they  were  east  of  Clay  Street  and  fronted  the 
bay.  In  an  hour  they  were  all  a  heap  of  ashes,  except  the 
pyramids  of  lumber  piled  up  in  their  yards;   probably  a  million 


92  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

feet  of  boards  and  plank  were  stacked  up  here.  The  scene  was 
awfully  sublime  when  these  pyramids  of  lumber  got  well  on 
fire;  they  continued  burning  for  several  days,  and  when  every- 
thing else  was  swept  away  they  stood  like  fiery  giants,  with 
innumerable  arms  and  tongues  of  flame,  constantly  spitting  out 
flashes  and  cinders,  as  the  knots  and  slivers  snapped  and  cracked, 
sounding  as  if  all  the  firecrackers  in  China  were  being  let  off 
at  once.  To  my  fancy  they  seemed  the  Genii  of  the  catastrophe, 
standing  there  for  three  days  and  nights  gloating  over  the  gen- 
eral destruction,  till  at  last  the  same  devouring  element  having 
eaten  them  off  their  balance,  they  toppled  and  fell  in  a  crash  of 
fire  and  smoke,  the  grand  finale  to  a  most  stupendous  pyrotech- 
nic exhibition. 

Williams'  warehouse  stood  at  the  corner  of  California  Street 
and  the  dock;  this  street  being  very  wide  and  the  wind  not 
blowing  in  that  direction,  the  fire  did  not  cross  that  street,  and 
thus  Happy  Valley  was  saved.  To  the  astonishment  of  every 
one,  the  fire  did  not  cross  to  the  north  of  Montgomery  Street, 
west  of  Long  Wharf,  although  to  the  east  of  the  wharf  all  was 
cleared  off.  Had  the  large  wooden  store  of  Hussey,  Bond  & 
Hale,  which  formed  the  western  boundary  of  the  wharf,  taken 
fire,  had  the  fiery  demon  not  been  stayed  by  a  merciful  Provi- 
dence, for  human  power  was  of  no  avail,  it  would  have  found 
an  immense  addition  of  fuel  in  the  large  store  ship  Niantic, 
which  lay  directly  in  range.  This  vessel  contained  nearly  two 
thousand  tons  of  merchandise,  most  of  it  of  a  peculiarly  com- 
bustible nature,  including  two  hundred  casks  of  gunpowder. 

To  sum  up  all,  this  dreadful  conflagration  has  burnt  up 
the  whole  of  Sacramento,  Commercial  and  Clay,  the  southeast 
side  of  Washington,  the  north  of  California  and  the  whole  of 
Montgomery  and  Sansome  streets,  except  the  miraculously  saved 
corner  where  lay  the  Niantic.  These  boundaries  include  nearly 
the  whole  of  the  business  section  of  the  city,  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  merchandise  is  not  to  be  estimated.  All  this  was  the 
work  of  three  hours;  by  noon  there  was  nothing  left  but  bricks 
and  mortar  and  such  articles  as  could  not  burn. 

But  did  the  San  Franciscans  give  up  in  despair  at  this,  the 
third,  time  their  city  had  been  destroyed?    Far  from  it.     Even 


REBUILDING  93 

while  the  fire  was  still  raging  contracts  for  new  buildings  were 
made,  and  before  night  men  were  engaged  in  clearing  away  the 
rubbish  and  teams  were  carting  materials  all  about  the  ruins. 
The  floor  of  a  new  El  Dorado  was  absolutely  laid  before  dark. 
At  daylight  the  next  morning  a  frame  had  been  raised,  and  in 
one  week  the  new  establishment  was  in  full  blast,  monte  table 
and  all.  Several  stores  were  up  and  occupied  in  three  days,  and 
in  two  weeks  all  was  right  again,  except  the  bank  buildings  in 
Montgomery  Street.  They  progressed  more  slowly,  the  proprie- 
tors being  determined  to  have  them  fire-proof  this  time  if  it 
was  possible.  They  thought  they  were  so  before,  but  they 
proved  to  be  but  match  boxes  in  the  terrible  furnace  that  de- 
stroyed them. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  day  after  this  great  fire,  as  I  was  strolling  about  among 
the  ruins,  I  came  across  an  acquaintance  standing  gazing  at  the 
spot  where  yesterday  stood  his  store  well  stocked  with  goods. 
This  man  had  been  burnt  out  three  times  in  the  short  space  of 
six  months.  I  accosted  him  jocosely,  "Come,"  said  I,  "no 
dumps,  up  and  at  it  again."  "No,"  said  he,  "I  am  done  for 
now;  between  the  two  first  fires  I  had  time  to  recover  myself, 
but  from  the  3rd  of  May  to  the  13th  of  June  is  not  long  enough ; 
only  let  me  have  six  months'  interval  and  I  shall  be  prepared, 
but  forty  days  is  not  time  enough.  No,  no,  the  risk  is  too  great 
for  me  to  try  it  again,  and  I  shall  sell  my  lot  and  try  my  fortune 
in  some  other  place." 

Looking  on  and  seeing  how  these  people  go  on  in  building 
again  after  losing  as  they  say  all  they  had,  it  strikes  me  as  some- 
what curious  where  the  money  comes  from,  for  surely  it  is  not 
so  easy  to  raise  money  in  California.  The  banks  will  not  take 
these  evanescent  buildings  as  security.  Where  then  does  A,  B 
and  C  get  their  means  to  go  ahead  again?  I  think  I  scent  it. 
The  losses  have  not  been  their  own.  They  are  nearly  all  com- 
mission merchants.  They  have  not  been  any  too  prompt  in 
making  remittances  to  their  constituents  at  home,  but  have  de- 
posited the  proceeds  of  sales,  intending  when  they  closed  sales 
to  remit  the  whole  at  once.  Well,  the  fire  has  caught  them  in 
this  situation,  and  affords  an  excellent  opportunity  to  close  ac- 
counts. Books  and  merchandise  are  all  burnt,  but  the  bankers' 
vaults  are  safe,  and  now  come  in  play  to  start  again  with.  It 
is  not  San  Francisco  that  is  burnt,  but  New  York,  Boston  and 
the  other  cities  on  the  Atlantic  and  in  Europe. 

On  my  return  from  Marysville  I  found  at  San  Francisco 
my  nephews,  George  and  Eben  Noyes.  Eben  was  engaged  in 
a  store  as  clerk  at  a  salary  of  $100  a  month,  and  George  was 
speculating  with  what  means  he  had.  He  was  interested  in  the 
barque  Byron  and  her  cargo  of  lumber.     She  had  unfortunately 


IF! 


95 


come  here  too  late.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  being  too  skittish 
or  careful  or  shrewd  in  trade.  Had  the  wise  gentleman  who 
own  the  Byron  sent  her  out  here  early,  at  a  time  when  they 
were  not  willing  to  believe  the  stories  that  were  told,  and  called 
it  all  humbug,  they  might  have  realized  a  profit  of  $50,000, 
whereas  it  is  now  doubtful  if  they  come  out  without  loss. 

And  here  I  cannot  help  remarking  that  if  the  Alhambra  had 
been  loaded  with  lumber  and  a  New  Orleans  assortment  the 
owners  would  have  cleared  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars,  and 
if  I  could  have  been  intrusted  with  the  consignment  my  per- 
quisites would  have  amounted  to  $30,000,  for  when  I  arrived 
lumber  was  worth  $400  a  thousand,  pork  was  fifty  cents  a  bar- 
rel, molasses  one  dollar  a  gallon,  sugar  twenty-five  cents  a  pound 
and  butter,  lard  and  cheese  one  dollar,  and  commission  was 
fixed  at  ten  per  cent. 

Oh!  That  abominable  if! 

I  had  anticipated  that  my  lighters  would  have  earned  me  a 
handsome  sum  during  my  absence,  but  I  was  disappointed.  I 
learned  that  as  soon  as  my  back  was  turned  towards  San  Fran- 
cisco Capt.  Thurlo  put  on  his  kid  gloves  and  acted  the  foolish 
gentleman  or  the  genteel  fool,  employed  some  sailors  to  work 
the  scow,  neglected  his  business,  lost  my  old  customers  and 
finally  gave  up  the  lighters  with  a  Flemish  account  to  George 
Noyes,  and  shipped  as  mate  of  a  brig,  and  went  off  to  Oregon. 
So  many  shipmasters  and  mates  had  become  engaged  in  that 
business  that  it  has  got  to  be  run  down,  and  I  decided  to  set  out 
and  confine  myself  to  the  river  trade.  An  unfortunate  de- 
cision. 

Two  of  the  tenders  had  been  lost  or  stolen  and  one  of  the 
scows  had  been  smashed,  and  it  cost  me  $300  to  repair  her.  I 
put  them  up  at  auction,  and  they  brought  me  $1,025.  They  had 
cost  me,  with  the  tenders  and  outfit,  $3,600.  I  loaded  the  So- 
phronia  with  corn  and  potatoes,  made  a  trip  to  Sacramento,  was 
absent  a  fortnight,  and  cleared  $1,200. 

The  parties  who  fixed  up  the  Sophronia  had  built  a  fine 
sloop  of  twenty-five  tons,  well  suited  to  the  river  trade,  which 
they  urged  me  to  purchase,  and  in  an  evil  hour  I  consented. 
The  price  was  $4,100,  one-third  cash,  the  balance  payable  in 


96  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

four  and  six  months.  Full  of  hopeful  enterprise,  I  loaded  both 
sloops  for  Marysville,  and  employed  three  young  Germans  (to 
whom  I  had  sold  the  Alhambra  long  boat  for  $1,000)  to  navi- 
gate the  Sophronia,  and  took  with  me  in  the  Merlin  a  man  by 
name  of  Louis  Martin,  or  Martin  Lewis,  he  did  not  know  which, 
whom  I  found  living  with  George  Noyes  and  Capt.  E.  Welch 
on  board  the  old  brig  Adelaide  of  Newburyport  in  true  Cali- 
fornia style.  He  had  formerly  been  in  the  employ  of  Capt.  I.  N. 
Cushing,  and  came  out  here  to  make  a  fortune  or  find  a  grave. 
His  fate  was  the  latter. 

On  the  morning  of  the  first  of  August  I  started  from  along- 
side the  Adelaide,  after  partaking  of  a  breakfast  of  fried  fish 
and  chocolate  prepared  by  George  N.,  having  despatched  the 
Sophronia  two  days  previous  with  orders  to  wait  for  me  at 
Sacramento.  I  had  a  fine  breeze  from  the  westward  and  went 
on  swimmingly  through  the  three  bays,  San  Francisco,  Pablo 
and  Suisun,  and  at  night  brought  up  at  the  City  of  New  York. 
It  had  made  no  advance  and  looked  like  Pompey  in  his  barber 
shop  waiting  for  a  customer  to  be  shaved. 

Next  morning  started  again  with  a  fresh  breeze,  and  in  two 
hours  I  entered  among  the  trees  of  the  river  Sacramento.  When 
I  was  here  before  the  sun  was  bright,  the  air  was  seething  with 
those  pestiferous  and  inveterate  tormentors  of  the  human  race, 
the  mosquitoes;  they  must  have  been  practicing  on  bullock's 
hides.  My  skin  is  like  blotting  paper  to  a  cambric  needle.  They 
say  nothing  was  made  for  naught,  but  I  have  never  seen  the 
individual  who  could  tell  what  mosquitoes  were  made  for.  Na- 
ture provides  every  creature  with  means  suited  to  circumstances, 
and  the  reason  why  these  mosquitoes  in  California  are  furnished 
with  such  long  stilettoes  is,  that  before  the  Yankees  came  here 
their  victims  were  the  cattle  of  the  country  and  the  thick-skinned 
Indians.  Philosophers  tell  us  that  it  is  only  the  females  which 
thus  torment;  if  this  is  so,  they  are  only  imitating  the  ladies 
of  California. 

Now  the  sun  is  glaring,  the  air  is  suffocating,  and  the  mos- 
quitoes, with  fresh  sharpened  stilettoes,  are  as  greedy  as  sharks ; 
I  took  the  precaution  to  provide  myself  with  a  hood  of  gauze, 
which  I  find  very  useful,  but  the  infernal  buzz  of  these  pests 


SACRAMENTO  AGAIN  97 

is  the  next  annoying  thing  to  their  sting;  they  are  all  around 
my  face  and  neck,  singing,  "Let  me  in,  let  me  in." 

There  is  no  wind,  so  there  is  no  help  for  it.  It  is  either 
warp  and  tie  or  be  still  and  die  from  heat  and  vexation.  I  took 
the  slough  this  time,  and  thus  saved  ten  miles,  and  in  ten  days 
I  reached  Sacramento,  where  I  found  the  Sophronia  waiting  for 
me  to  come  along. 

This  city  has  grown  very  much,  although  I  can  see  that  its 
growth  is  not  what  the  traders  expected.  The  fact  is  Marys- 
ville  is  going  ahead  with  "seven  leagued  boots,"  and  Sacramento 
is  but  the  half-way  house  between  that  place  and  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

The  city  government  have  voted  to  raise  an  embankment  on 
the  levee  to  guard  against  another  overflow,  and  I  found  the 
harbour  master  traversing  the  levee  accompanied  by  an  auction- 
eer, selling  off  all  the  merchandise  that  had  remained  there  over 
the  allotted  time.  As  they  came  opposite  my  sloop  they  came 
across  ten  casks  of  crockery  and  a  butt  of  sperm  oil.  The 
harbour  master  called  for  an  owner,  no  one  appearing  to  claim 
them,  the  auctioneer  mounted  one  of  the  casks,  rattled  his 
triangle,  and  then  put  them  all  up  in  a  lot.  Once,  twice,  and 
— gone  for  $350.  Now  the  oil  alone  was  worth  nearly  double 
that  money.  In  this  reckless  manner  they  went  on,  clearing  the 
levee  of  everything  that  had  remained  there  over  a  week. 

I  had  on  board  the  Merlin  ten  thousand  pounds  of  potatoes, 
and  fearing  that  they  would  rot  in  this  hot  weather  I  thought 
best  to  sell  them  here,  and  I  took  a  sample  to  an  auction  then 
coming  off  under  the  hammer  of  Richard  N.  Berry,  a  man  of 
some  notoriety  in  Boston,  but  all  right  here.  But  they  would 
not  bring  satisfactory  prices. 

While  standing  at  that  auction  I  noticed  a  young  man  buying 
largely  whose  countenance  seemed  familiar  to  me,  though  I 
could  not  exactly  place  him,  but  as  he  caught  my  eye  he  offered 
his  hand  to  me.  I  told  him  he  had  the  advantage  of  me. 
"What!"  said  he,  "don't  you  remember  Tom?"  "Tom!"  says 
I,  "what  Tom?"  "Why,  Tom  that  came  out  with  you  in  the 
Alhambra."  He  was  one  of  my  sailors,  and  the  worst  one  I 
had  on  board.    He  had  been  to  the  mines,  dug  a  little  and  then 


98  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

commenced  trading  in  a  small  way,  and  was  as  large  a  merchant 
as  any  of  them.  He  bid  off  flour  by  the  one  hundred  sacks  and 
sugar  and  coffee  by  the  wagon  load,  and  I  could  see  that  Dick 
Berry  considered  Tom  a  customer  not  to  be  slighted. 

Off  again  and  up  the  dirty  river.  The  Merlin  was  a  broad 
and  shallow  craft,  with  a  shallow  keel,  and  a  center  board  tra- 
versing on  a  pivot  through  the  center.  This  center  board  was 
for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  sloop  from  drifting  sideways. 
When  the  wind  was  ahead  and  when  in  shallow  water  it  was 
drawn  up  by  means  of  a  chain  fixed  to  the  after  end.  Now  in  run- 
ning through  the  reach  below  the  rival  cities  of  Vernon  and  Fre- 
mont I  had  a  smart  breeze.  As  the  sloop  was  going  at  a  rapid 
rate,  she  suddenly  rounded  to,  in  spite  of  the  rudder,  and  stopped 
broadside  to  the  current,  and  all  my  attempts  to  get  her  off 
again  upon  her  course  were  unavailing.  The  center  board  being 
down,  had  caught  hold  on  something  on  the  bottom  and  held 
her  fast.  In  trying  to  pull  it  up  the  chain  broke  and  here  we 
were  in  a  pretty  fix.  I  was  obliged  to  under-run  the  sloop  with 
a  line  and  bring  up  one  end  on  each  side,  and  after  two  hours' 
work  we  got  the  center  board  raised  and  started  again;  but 
every  time  the  keel  passed  over  anything  on  bottom  the  line 
would  be  drawn  out  of  place,  and  down  would  go  the  center 
board. 

By  dint  of  warping,  poling,  rowing  and  sailing  we  reached 
Nicolaus  in  eight  days  from  Sacramento.  As  I  passed  Vernon 
and  Fremont  I  could  see  no  alteration.  There  were  the  same 
tavern  signs,  and  the  same  great  piles  of  lumber,  and  the  old 
barque  was  still  lying  moored  abreast  of  Fremont,  probably 
with  the  view  of  making  that  city  look  like  a  seaport.  But 
in  this  respect  Nicolaus  has  outstripped  them,  for  a  barque  and 
a  brig  are  lying  alongside  the  bank  here.  So  Fremont  hide  your 
diminished  head,  for  Nicolaus  is  the  head  of  navigation. 

I  looked  in  vain  for  Doctor  Tappe  and  his  domestic  estab- 
lishment. They  had  "vamoosed  the  ranch,"  wife,  dog,  cabbages 
and  all.  Here  I  received  a  visit  from  the  Indian  chief  opposite 
and  his  wife  or  squaw  and  two  young  papooses,  revolting  speci- 
mens of  humanity;  the  woman  was  half  naked  and  the  children 
entirely  so.     He  brought  a  bear's  cub,  in  hopes  that  I  would 


A    WRECK 


99 


buy  it.  He  had  money  (Mexican)  and  bought  of  me  three 
sacks  of  flour  and  some  molasses. 

The  river  had  now  fallen  very  much,  exposing  the  limbs 
and  trunks  of  numerous  great  trees  lying  prostrate  in  the  stream, 
making  the  navigation  difficult  and  dangerous.  As  I  came  in 
sight  of  "Plumas"  I  had  a  light  breeze  up  the  river,  and  giving 
the  helm  to  Louis  I  stationed  myself  on  the  end  of  the  bowsprit 
to  look  out  for  snags.  The  water  was  clear,  so  that  we  could 
see  any  danger  in  season  to  avoid  it. 

We  were  going  on  at  about  the  rate  of  three  miles  an  hour, 
and  I  felt  encouraged  at  the  prospect  of  making  one  good  day's 
trip.  It  was  breakfast  time,  and  I  left  the  boy  on  the  lookout, 
and  went  to  the  cuddy  for  a  cup  of  coffee;  I  had  finished  my 
breakfast  and  was  lighting  my  segar,  a  dear  and  costly  segar 
it  proved,  when  I  felt  the  sloop  hit  a  snag.  I  did  not  suppose 
that  the  blow  had  force  enough  to  cause  any  injury,  and  was 
busy  in  running  out  a  line  to  haul  her  off,  when  passing  aft  I 
cast  my  eye  down  the  cuddy  hatch  and  saw  that  the  cabin  was 
half  full  of  water.  I  staggered  and  fell,  for  I  saw  at  once  that 
I  was  ruined.  I  had  staked  my  all  and  twice  as  much  more 
on  this  adventure,  and  had  toiled  through  suffering  almost  unen- 
durable, buoyed  up  by  the  hope  of  all  ending  in  a  good 
profit,  and  then  to  have  the  prize,  when  almost  within  my  grasp, 
thus  suddenly  snatched  away  by  one  cruel  blow!  It  was  too 
much! 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

But  I  did  not  long  lie  idle  and  prostrate.  I  could  not  realize 
the  full  extent  of  the  blow  as  it  afterwards  resulted.  Although 
I  knew  that  all  my  hard  earnings  in  California  were  at  once 
swept  away,  yet  I  hoped  to  be  able  to  save  enough  from  the 
wreck  to  pay  my  debts,  and  for  the  benefit  of  my  creditors  I 
resolved  to  do  all  I  could.  I  had  five  thousand  feet  of  pine 
boards  on  deck,  and  the  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  make  a 
raft  of  this.  Another  boat  besides  the  Sophronia  was  near, 
and  came  to  my  assistance,  and  two  Englishmen  that  were 
passengers,  working  heartily  with  us,  we  were  not  long  in  tum- 
bling out  the  lumber  on  which  I  hoped  to  be  able  to  save  some 
of  my  perishable  goods,  but  before  we  could  get  at  any  of  the 
cargo  under  deck  she  filled  and  sunk! 

Nothing  more  could  be  done  at  present,  and  the  Englishmen 
left,  their  boat  proceeding  on  up  the  river.  There  now  lay 
the  Merlin,  her  bows  resting  on  an  abominable  snag,  which 
had  gone  through  her,  and  her  stern  on  a  sand  bank,  six  feet 
under  water!  The  sun  was  pouring  down  upon  us  his  rays  of 
molten  brass,  and  the  air  was  almost  unrespirable,  but  my  boys 
did  not  show  any  disposition  to  flinch,  and  to  work  we  went 
with  a  will. 

I  made  a  pair  of  shears  with  the  main  and  square  sail 
booms  and  erected  on  the  bottom  over  the  stern,  and  getting 
a  sling  under  the  keel,  with  a  double  buff  tackle  we  succeeded, 
after  much  labour,  in  raising  her  stern  so  as  to  bring  the  deck 
even  with  the  surface  of  the  water. 

And  now  the  object  was  to  see  if  we  could  gain  upon  the 
leak  by  pumping  and  bailing.  If  we  could  not  do  this  the  game 
was  all  up,  for  it  would  cost  more  to  get  a  steam  boat  and  pump 
up  from  San  Francisco  than  the  property  saved  would  be  worth. 
With  a  good  will  my  lads  turned  to.  If  the  property  had  been 
their  own  they  could  not  have  shown  more  interest.  For  two 
hours  we  bailed  with  six  buckets  from  the  hatchway  and  the 

100 


GLOOM  101 

cabin  without  seeming  to  gain,  but  I  had  made  a  mark  in  the 
cabin  as  a  gauge,  and  perceived  that  the  water  had  fallen  an 
inch.  The  boys  were  about  giving  it  up  as  a  hopeless  job  when 
I  showed  them  my  mark,  and  they  went  at  it  again  like  tigers, 
but  even  while  they  .rested  the  leak  had  raised  the  water  up  to 
my  mark  again. 

Leaving  them  bailing  I  dug  out  cargo  from  the  forward 
cuddy  hatch,  and  working  under  water,  after  much  labour,  in 
which  I  was  chilled  through  by  the  water  which  was  the  recently 
melted  snow  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  made  colder  by  contrast 
with  the  fervid  atmosphere,  I  forced  a  passage  to  the  starboard 
bow,  and  found  the  snag  had  made  a  hole  through  plank  and 
ceiling.  Feeling  the  extent  of  the  injury,  I  made  a  wad  of 
oakum  and  diving  under  the  water  I  forced  it  into  the  hole 
from  the  inside.  I  did  this  so  effectually  that  the  lads  began 
at  once  to  gain  rapidly  upon  the  leak,  and  at  sunset  we  had 
sucked  the  pump. 

So  much  labour  at  such  a  time  had  exhausted  my  compan- 
ions' strength,  and  I  could  not  ask  them  to  do  anything  more 
till  they  had  taken  some  rest,  and  I  let  them  all  go  to  sleep, 
and  kept  the  night  watch  myself.  For  me  to  sleep  was  impos- 
sible. I  was  now  able  to  get  at  and  stop  the  leak  more  thor- 
oughly, and  it  required  but  little  pumping  to  keep  her  free. 

A  sensitive  mind  may  possibly  have  an  approximating  con- 
ception of  what  were  my  feelings  on  that  dark  and  gloomy 
night — not  weather  dark  and  gloomy,  for  not  a  cloud  obscured 
the. heavens,  and  the  moon  and  stars  shone  out  as  brightly  as 
though  nothing  had  happened.  But  my  reflections  were  soul- 
harrowing.  I  thought  of  my  faithful  wife,  and  was  harassed 
with  the  idea  that  I  had  neglected  to  send  her  money  when  I 
had  it  at  command,  and  now  it  would  be  out  of  my  power  to 
do  so.  I  had  kept  my  earnings  to  operate  with  in  earning  more, 
with  the  hope  of  being  able  to  return  to  the  home  of  my  heart 
at  the  end  of  the  year  with  means  to  make  that  home  cheerful, 
but  now  all  hope  was  crushed. 

I  am  ashamed  to  write  it,  but  the  dreadful  thought  oppressed 
me  that  suicide  would  end  all.  Shakespeare's  dagger  gleamed 
before  my  burning  eyes,  and   I  asked,  "whether  'twere  better 


102  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

to  bear  the  ills  of  life  than  by  opposing  end  them."  But  the 
spirit  of  my  father  rebuked  me,  and  I  said,  in  view  of  his  moun- 
tain of  trouble  and  his  cheerful  resignation,  shall  I  prove  myself 
unworthy  of  such  a  stock?  No!  And  I  threw  my  loaded  pistol 
overboard. 

Anti-tobacconists  may  preach  of  the  pernicious  effects  of  the 
weed.  But  all  their  arguments  evaporated  in  the  smoke  of  a 
bunch  of  Havanas,  while  during  the  longest  night  that  ever 
darkened  the  waters  of  Feather  river  I  listened  to  the  growling 
of  grizzly  bears,  the  howling  of  coyotes  and  the  hooting  of 
owls  perched  upon  the  trees  around,  fit  associates  in  my  sad- 
ness. At  length  this  night  of  nights  wore  away,  and  the  morn 
awoke  that  called  me  to  a  day  of  super-human  labour,  that 
availed  me  nothing  after  all. 

At  early  daylight  we  turned  to  and  loaded  up  the  rafts  with 
goods  and  took  them  down  to  a  smooth  sandy  beach,  about  ten 
rods  below,  and  opened  out  some  bales  of  cotton  cloth,  which 
we  spread  on  the  sand,  so  hot  as  to  dry  it  as  fast  as  we  could 
lay  it  down.  On  this  we  spread  ten  thousand  pounds  of  corn, 
five  thousand  pounds  of  rice  and  coffee,  beans,  dried  apples, 
raisins,  etc.,  etc.,  besides  forty  thousand  segars,  which  I  spread 
out  singly,  in  hopes  to  dry  them  so  as  to  be  salable  at  some 
price. 

While  busy  at  this  work  a  scream  from  the  boy  left  on 
board  to  cook  announced  that  the  sloop  was  on  fire!  We  hur- 
ried on  board  just  in  time  to  extinguish  the  flames  after  they 
had  burnt  up  a  large  part  of  the  mainsail  and  three  dozen  blan- 
kets, spread  out  on  deck  and  on  the  spars  and  hung  up  in  the 
rigging  to  dry. 

After  three  days'  broiling  on  that  scorching  sand  I  thought 
the  goods  were  dry  enough  to  repack.  In  the  meantime  we 
had  taken  the  Sophronia  alongside  the  bank,  discharged  her 
cargo  and  loaded  her  with  pork  and  potatoes,  etc.,  from  the 
Merlin,  which  enabled  us  to  get  her  afloat.  We  hove  her  down 
and  repaired  the  damage,  then  reloaded  and  started  again  on 
our  wearisome  trip;  the  trouble  and  difficulty  of  getting  along 
was  greater  than  I  can  describe.    At  Plumas  I  landed  the  deck 


RIVER  WORK  103 

load  of  lumber  and  sent  it  up  to  Marysville  by  land,  cartage 
$25  a  thousand. 

After  twelve  days  more  of  river  work  I  reached  the  rapids 
which  are  opposite  to  Yuba  City.  We  could  not  surmount  this 
hill  of  water  without  help,  and  I  went  on  shore  to  procure  as- 
sistance. The  first  person  I  met  was  my  friend  C.  H.  Porter. 
He  went  with  me  to  an  Indian  rancheria  near  by.  I  gave  the 
chief  ten  dollars,  and  he  sent  a  posse  of  his  subjects  to  tug  us 
over.  I  say  his  subjects,  for  no  government  on  earth  is  more 
absolute  than  his.  His  name  was  Walkitaw  and  his  word  is  fixed 
law.  With  the  help  of  these  Indians  we  succeeded  in  getting  both 
sloops  above  the  rapids  by  sunset. 

At  this  low  stage  of  the  river  the  rapid  was  a  mere  race, 
about  thirty  feet  wide,  and  a  patriarchal  sycamore  lay  prostrate 
in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  its  great  arms  extending  half  way 
across  the  passage.  To  run  my  line  up  against  the  current  was 
impossible,  and  two  Indians  took  the  coil  upon  their  backs  and 
waded  up  on  a  flat  on  the  opposite  side,  made  it  fast  to  a  tree 
at  the  point  where  the  Feather  and  the  Yuba  meet,  and  swam 
down  stream  with  the  other  end.  Now  just  as  we  had  tugged 
her  into  the  middle  of  the  rapids  the  sloop  took  a  rank  sheer, 
and  shot  in  by  a  limb  of  the  sycamore  and  brought  up  with  her 
stem  in  the  crotch.  Her  stern  then  swung  in  by  another  limb, 
unshipping  the  rudder  and  twisting  off  the  head.  I  was  holding 
the  tiller  and  the  concussion  threw  me  into  the  river,  six  feet 
from  the  sloop.  The  current  swept  me  down  stream,  but  I 
can  do  my  part  in  swimming  (what  boy  raised  in  Newburyport 
cannot  do  that?),  and  I  landed  on  the  sand  flat  on  the  other 
side. 

Between  the  two  limbs  there  now  the  Merlin  lay  in  limbo, 
and  the  only  way  to  get  out  of  it  was  to  cut  off  the  great  branch 
forward.  After  an  hour's  work  the  Indians  did  this  under 
water.  Then  tugging  her  nose  out  of  this,  the  rapid  current 
caught  her  on  the  starboard  bow,  and  having  no  rudder  to  keep 
her  straight,  she  shot  over  on  the  sand  flat,  and  she  ran  her 
bows  a  foot  out  of  water.  Lashing  a  leading  block  to  the  end 
of  the  bowsprit,  and  reaving  the  warp  line  through  that,  with 
a  double  luff  tackle  we  forced  her  off  and  succeeded  in  getting 


io4  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

above  the  rapids.  The  Sophronia  was  gotten  over  with  less 
difficulty,  and  after  this  it  was  but  little  labour  to  reach  Marys- 
ville. 

While  busy  in  the  rapids  I  missed  my  mate  Louis,  and  found 
him  down  in  the  hold,  lying  on  some  bags  of  rotting  potatoes; 
he  had  given  up  sick.  I  got  him  up  and  made  him  sit  under 
an  awning,  and  as  soon  as  I  could  get  on  shore  I  got  a  physician 
to  look  at  him.  He  gave  him  some  pills,  said  he  had  no  fever, 
and  a  day  or  two  of  rest  would  bring  him  round  all  right  again. 
At  night  he  appeared  to  be  better,  and  asked  me  for  some  bread 
and  milk.  I  gave  him  a  teacup  full,  and  he  lay  down  and,  as  I 
thought,  went  to  sleep.  I  was  worn  out  myself  and  went  to  bed 
early.  About  ten  o'clock  the  skipper  of  the  Sophronia  woke 
me,  and  said  Louis  appeared  to  be  worse.  I  spoke  to  him,  but 
got  no  answer.  I  went  immediately  to  the  doctor,  who  came 
in  ten  minutes,  but  poor  Louis  had  yielded  up  the  ghost.  He 
was  a  man  of  few  words,  and  when  he  did  speak  it  was  in  such 
a  mumbling  way  that  I  could  scarcely  understand  him.  I  never 
heard  him  say  anything  about  his  domestic  concerns,  and  did 
not  know  that  he  was  a  married  man  till  my  return  to  San 
Francisco  after  three  months'  absence. 

The  next  day  after  I  reached  Marysville  every  other  indi- 
vidual on  board  both  sloops  was  taken  down  with  fever,  and  I 
had  them  all  to  nurse  for  a  week.  I  had  thus  my  hands  too 
full  to  think  of  being  sick  myself. 

I  was  obliged  to  employ  labourers  at  one  dollar  an  hour  to 
discharge  my  sloops,  and  now  I  found  that  all  my  hard  labour 
and  exposure  on  that  burning  sand  had  been  of  but  little  benefit. 
My  potatoes  were  so  much  decayed  that  I  did  not  realize  enough 
for  them  to  pay  the  expense  of  picking  them  over.  If  sound 
they  would  have  brought  me  twenty  cents  a  pound.  The  corn 
and  rice  were  mouldy;  spices  and  fruit  spoilt;  sugar,  salt  and 
saleratus  dissolved,  and  some  chests  of  tea,  which  I  did  not 
open,  supposing  them  to  be  watertight,  were  entirely  worthless ; 
and  the  segars  that  I  took  so  much  pains  with  were  all  matted 
together  in  the  boxes,  and  I  threw  them  all  into  the  river.  If 
I  had  come  up  safe  and  in  a  reasonable  time  I  should  have 


MARYSVILLE  AGAIN  105 

made  a  great  voyage,  but  as  it  is,  the  report  of  my  having  been 
snagged  renders  it  difficult  for  me  to  sell  even  what  is  sound. 

As  soon  as  the  lads  on  board  the  Sophronia  began  to  gather 
strength  again  I  despatched  them  on  their  return  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, with  instructions  to  employ  her  in  the  freighting  busi- 
ness to  Stockton,  and  remained  myself  at  Marysville  to  make 
the  most  of  my  shattered  interests. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

The  next  day,  while  sitting  in  Mr.  Farish's  store,  I  felt  an 
indescribable  sensation  of  chilliness  creeping  through  my  sys- 
tem. I  went  out  and  stood  in  the  burning  sun  to  get  thawed 
out,  but  it  was  no  go,  I  grew  every  moment  more  chilly.  I 
went  on  board,  turned  in,  and  covered  myself  with  blankets, 
but  as  for  warmth  I  might  as  well  have  crept  under  sheets  of 
ice.  I  sent  for  Mr.  Farish,  who  said  I  had  the  real  true  blue 
fever  and  ague  and  no  mistake.  He  sent  me  a  bottle  of  Doctor 
Osgood's  Indian  Chorugogue,  which  is  represented  as  a  "sov- 
ereign remedy." 

After  shivering  and  shaking  for  about  two  hours  my  nerves 
relaxed  and  a  gentle  warmth  succeeded,  which  grew  momen- 
tarily warmer,  then  hot  and  hotter,  till  I  was  in  a  raging  fever, 
and  then  it  seemed  as  though  I  could  drink  the  Yuba  dry.  At 
length,  towards  night,  the  fever  subsided,  and  I  was  all  right 
again.  For  the  first  time  in. my  life  I  had  gone  through  a  fit 
of  chills  and  fever. 

They  told  me  it  might  come  on  again  on  the  second  or  per- 
haps not  till  the  third  day.  But  my  attacks  seemed  destined  to 
make  up  for  my  former  exemption.  It  returned  again  at  the 
same  hour  on  the  next  day.  Again  I  took  the  chorugogue, 
although  the  doctor  says  on  the  envelope  that  one  dose  is  suffi- 
cient. Faith,  I  think  so,  for  I  have  since  learnt  that  one  of  the 
ingredients  is  arsenic.  I  believe  that  quack  medicines  are  only 
intended  for  the  credulous,  and  their  virtue  consists  in  the  name. 
We  have  panaceas,  catholicons,  chorugogues  and  hydrophlogar- 
tionics.  Shade  of  Hippocrates!  what  a  name!  It  ought  to  an- 
nihilate all  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  Had  Pandora  antici- 
pated this  she  would  never  have  raised  the  lid  of  her  box. 

My  ague  returned  daily  for  a  week,  commencing  later  every 
day,  which  they  told  me  was  a  good  sign,  till  at  length  a  short 
fit  of  ague  left  me  in  a  settled  fever.  I  sent  for  Capt.  Powers, 
a  gentleman  whose  acquaintance  I  had  formed  on  my  first  visit. 

106 


CROSSING   THE   PLAINS  107 

He  took  me  up  to  his  house,  where  I  was  kindly  and  attentively 
nursed  by  his  wife  and  her  daughter,  and  in  ten  days  the  fever 
left  me,  giving  place  to  an  attack  of  chronic  diarrhea,  which 
hung  about  me  for  three  months,  and  reduced  me  very  much. 

I  have  mentioned  Mrs.  Powers'  daughter.  She  was  a  mar- 
ried lady  twenty-four  years  old,  with  three  little  children,  with 
whom  she  had  traveled  across  the  plains.  Her  name  was  Nancy 
Haight,  and  this  is  her  history: 

She  was  the  eldest  of  two  girls,  daughters  of  Mrs.  Powers 
by  a  former  husband.  They  are  very  beautiful,  and  the  mother 
must  have  been  surpassingly  so.  She  is  now  a  splendid  woman 
and  remarkably  energetic.  They  came  from  Illinois.  Capt. 
Powers  is  a  native  of  Newburyport,  but  emigrated  to  Illinois 
when  a  boy. 

Nancy  was  married  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  to  Capt. 
Haight,  commander  of  one  of  the  Mississippi  steamers.  The 
families  came  to  this  country  soon  after  the  gold  fever  broke 
out,  in  company  with  a  large  party  of  relatives  and  neighbours, 
by  the  overland  route,  starting  from  Fort  Independence  in  Mis- 
souri, in  May.  They  were  amply  supplied  with  everything  to 
make  them  comfortable,  even  covered  wagons  with  beds  for  the 
women  and  children. 

For  the  first  month,  while  crossing  the  plains,  the  journey 
would  have  been  a  mere  pleasure  trip,  a  lengthened  picnic,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  cholera.  That  dreadful  scourge  had  ascended 
the  river  from  New  Orleans,  and  overtook  them  on  the  route 
and  committed  dreadful  ravages  among  them.  One  young  wo- 
man buried  her  husband  and  two  children  and  came  to  Cali- 
fornia a  widow.  But  she  did  not  long  remain  so.  She  was 
soon  married  to  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Marysville,  said  to  be 
worth  $150,000.  She  is  a  frequent  visitor  at  Mrs.  Powers',  and 
as  I  saw  her  there  one  day,  richly  dressed  and  talking  nonsense, 
I  thought  to  myself,  can  this  be  possible? 

The  cholera  disappeared  when  they  reached  Fort  Laramie, 
at  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  trials  and  hardships 
of  the  rest  of  the  journey  are  so  well  described  by  Bayard 
Taylor  that  I  transcribe  from  his  book,  "The  El  Dorado."  He 
says: 


108  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

"After  passing  Fort  Laramie  the  real  hardships  of  the  jour- 
ney began,  up  and  down  the  mountains  that  hem  in  the  Sweet 
Water  valley.  Over  the  spur  of  the  Wind  River  chain,  through 
the  Devil's  Gate,  and  past  the  stupendous  mass  of  Rock  Inde- 
pendence, they  toiled  slowly  up  to  South  Pass,  then  descended 
into  the  valleys  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Colorado,  and  plunged 
into  the  rugged  defiles  of  the  Timpanesee  Mountains.  Here  the 
pasturage  became  short,  and  the  companies  were  obliged  to  sep- 
arate in  order  to  find  sufficient  grass  for  their  teams.  Many 
who  in  their  anxiety  to  get  forward  had  thrown  away  their  sup- 
plies, began  now  to  want,  and  were  frequently  reduced  to  the 
necessity  of  making  use  of  their  mules  and  horses  for  food. 

Descending  to  the  great  basin  which  is  the  interval  between 
the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Sierra  Nevada,  they  find  that  a 
gracious  Providence  had,  in  dispersing  the  fanatic  Mormons 
from  New  Lebanon,  caused  them  to  settle  in  this  basin,  beside 
an  inland  sea  called  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 

There  this  community  of  religious  enthusiasts,  numbering 
about  ten  thousand,  had  established  themselves  in  a  grand  val- 
ley a  thousand  miles  from  any  other  civilized  spot,  to  raise 
supplies  to  keep  this  immense  army  of  emigrants  from  starva- 
tion. Without  this  resting  place  in  midjourney  their  sufferings 
would  have  been  greatly  aggravated. 

But  the  worst  was  yet  to  come.  Crossing  the  alternate 
sandy  wastes  and  rugged  mounts  of  the  great  basin  to  the  valley 
of  Humboldt  River,  they  were  obliged  to  trust  entirely  to  their 
worn  and  weary  animals  for  reaching  and  crossing  the  Sierra 
Nevada  before  the  winter  snows.  The  grass  was  scarce  and 
now  fast  drying  up  in  the  scorching  heat  of  midsummer,  and 
in  the  endeavors  to  hasten  forward  to  get  the  first  chance  of 
pasture  many  again  committed  the  same  mistake  of  throwing 
away  their  supplies.  The  progress  along  the  valley  of  Hum- 
boldt River  was  slow  and  tiresome  in  the  extreme.  From  this 
they  have  before  them  an  arid  desert  of  from  fifty  to  eighty 
miles  in  breadth  to  traverse  without  food  or  water  for  their 
cattle  before  they  reach  the  streams  that  are  fed  from  the  Sierra 
Nevada.  The  passes  are  described  as  terribly  rugged  and  pre- 
cipitous, leading  directly  up  the  snowy  ridge  to  the  altitude  of 


MARRIAGE  TROUBLES  109 

8,000  feet.  Having,  with  infinite  toil,  reached  at  last  the  divid- 
ing range,  they  find  they  have  yet  a  hundred  miles  of  mountain 
country  to  traverse,  through  snow  and  storm,  before  reaching 
the  descent  to  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento.  The  descent  is 
rendered  hazardous  and  almost  impassable  by  precipices  and 
steeps  of  naked  rock.  In  getting  down  there,  they  were  often 
obliged  to  lock  their  wheels  and  clog  their  vehicles  with  timber 
and  lower  them  down  with  ropes.  Towards  the  end  of  the 
journey,  the  sufferings  of  many  were  indescribable,  they  perished 
by  hundreds  from  cold  and  starvation,  and  many  were  too  late 
and  got  locked  up  in  impenetrable  snows  to  linger  out  a  few  days 
or  perhaps  weeks  and  die." 

Now,  Mrs.  Haight  experienced  all  these  but  the  last  in  her 
miserable  journey  of  six  months;  and,  more  than  all  the  rest, 
in  the  middle  of  the  worst  part  of  the  route,  an  unhappy  differ- 
ence arose  between  her  and  her  husband.  Capt.  H.  was  more 
attentive  to  some  other  young  ladies  of  the  party  than  his  wife 
thought  and  I  think  he  ought  to  have  been,  leaving  her  to  trudge 
up  and  down  the  steeps  with  her  three  children,  one  of  which, 
and  sometimes  two,  she  was  obliged  to  carry  in  her  arms.  This 
unfortunate  breach  in  their  relations,  which  might  have  been 
healed,  grew  wide  and  wider,  as  often  happens  with  two  proud 
and  sensitive  people.  Neither  party  was  willing  to  acknowledge 
anything  wrong,  or  make  the  first  advance  towards  a  reconcilia- 
tion, and  thus  the  miserable  journey  passed  and  they  arrived  at 
Sacramento  married  enemies. 

Capt.  Haight  betook  himself  to  the  mines,  and  Mrs.  H.,  too 
proud-spirited  to  be  a  burden  to  her  father-in-law,  went  down 
on  the  levee,  hired  a  brig  and  had  a  house  built  upon  her  deck, 
and  opened  a  boarding  and  lodging  house,  managing  it  herself, 
besides  taking  care  of  her  three  children.  She  was  successful 
and  collected  a  very  handsome  sum  in  a  few  months,  when, 
Capt.  Powers  having  fixed  upon  Marysville  as  his  residence,  she 
was  able  to  assist  him  in  building  a  comfortable  house,  where  I 
found  them  living  and  where  I  was  so  kindly  nursed  by  Mrs. 
Haight.    I  certainly  thought  her  a  ministering  angel. 

I  did  not  then  know  anything  of  her  domestic  affairs,  but 
one  day  Capt.  Haight  came  down  from  the  mines  and  his  wife 


no  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

shut  herself  up  in  her  room  and  would  not  see  him,  and,  after  he 
had  gone,  I  asked  Mrs.  Powers  what  this  meant,  and  she  told  me 
the  story  as  I  have  related  it.  But,  alas  for  human  nature !  here 
ends  the  story  of  Nancy's  virtues.  What  follows  is  from  my 
own  knowledge. 

Capt.  Powers  was  keeping  a  private  boarding  house,  and 
among  his  boarders  was  a  sort  of  a  "Caleb  Quotem,"  who,  be- 
sides being  a  doctor,  was  peddler,  jockey  and  auctioneer;  in 
short,  he  was  factotum.  He  had  cast  his  blasting  eyes  upon 
Mrs.  Haight.  He  kept  a  livery  stable  and  furnished  Mrs.  H. 
with  a  saddle  horse,  and  used  often  to  accompany  her  on  an 
afternoon  drive,  from  which  they  sometimes  did  not  return  till 
10  or  ii  o'clock.  I  thought  this  very  imprudent  in  Mrs.  H.,  but 
could  not  imagine  anything  criminal.  This  went  on  till  about 
a  fortnight  before  I  left  Marysville,  when,  one  morning,  to  the 
astonishment  of  every  one,  the  newspaper  announced  the  mar- 
riage of  Dr.  O.  H.  Pierson  and  Mrs.  Nancy  Haight!  A  secret 
decree  had  been  obtained  from  a  licentious  judge,  granting  Mrs. 
H.  a  divorce  from  her  former  husband,  which  he  did  not  oppose. 

Capt.  Haight  was  now  running  a  small  steamer  on  the  river, 
and  one  day,  while  "Caleb  Quotem"  was  busy  with  his  petty 
auction,  the  captain  went  to  their  house  to  see  his  children. 
While  he  was  there  the  doctor  came  home  and  ordered  him  to 
leave  the  house.  Instead  of  doing  so,  he  seized  the  guilty 
ravisher  by  the  collar,  dragged  him  to  the  door,  pointed  him 
right,  and  sent  him  sprawling  into  the  middle  of  the  street. 

The  wife  of  both  now  interfered,  but  he  to  whom  she  had 
surrendered  her  young  heart,  and  sworn  to  love,  honour  and 
obey  till  death — he  who  had  sworn  to  comfort  and  cherish  her 
through  life — put  her  gently  aside,  saying,  "Madam,  I  don't 
know  you."    Alas,  poor  Nancy! 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Mr.  Joseph  B.  Hervey  came  to  Marysville  when  I  had  begun 
to  recover,  and  we  went  together  to  see  the  elephant;  that  is,  to 
take  a  look  at  the  diggings.  Mr.  Farish  kindly  offering  to  be 
our  guide,  we  chartered  three  mules  and  rode  out  through  a 
very  romantic  country  about  twenty  miles  to  a  spot  called  Segar's 
Bar.  This  is  a  bank  of  gravel  and  rock  in  the  bed  of  the  Yuba. 
Here  a  party  of  twenty  had  squatted ;  they  had  built  a  dam  nearly 
across  the  stream,  leaving  a  sluiceway  about  ten  feet  wide  on 
one  side  to  carry  by  the  stream.  This  was  a  very  rich  spot,  and 
they  had  been  for  some  time  collecting  about  forty  pounds  a 
day  of  gold  in  dust  and  ingots ;  by  means  of  bars  they  overturned 
great  boulders,  and  generally  found  a  deposit  of  gold  under 
them. 

Just  above  that  bar  there  was  another,  supposed  to  be  equally 
as  rich.  Another  company  had  monopolized  this,  and  had  built 
their  dam  and  nearly  finished  their  sluiceway.  There  was  one 
share  in  this  bar  for  sale,  and  Mr.  H.  and  I  thought  of  buying  it. 
The  price  was  $2,000.  We,  however,  returned  to  Marysville 
without  concluding  the  purchase,  and  the  next  day  the  first  of 
the  autumn  rains  came  on  earlier  than  usual ;  it  continued  three 
days,  the  river  rose  ten  feet,  and  the  rush  of  water  swept  away 
their  dam,  destroyed  their  summer's  work  and  upset  all  their 
calculations  for  this  season. 

There  were  other  parties  at  work  on  their  side  claims.  A 
side  claim  is  one  rod  measured  off  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 
They  dig  into  the  bank  and  carry  the  gravel  to  the  water  and 
wash  out  the  gold  by  the  rocker.  This  operation  employs  six 
hands ;  two  to  dig,  one  to  wheel  the  dirt  to  the  rocker,  the  fourth 
to  shovel  it  into  the  hopper  of  the  machine,  the  fifth  keeps  pour- 
ing in  water,  and  the  other  rocks  the  cradle.  The  cradle  is 
placed  on  a  slight  inclination,  the  lower  end  is  open,  three  or 
four  bars  two  inches  high  are  fixed  transversely  across  the  bot- 
tom, the  dirt  and  water  fall  through  a  sieve  which  is  fixed  in  the 

111 


ii2  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

hopper  or  hood  of  the  cradle,  and  the  rocking  keeps  the  mass  in 
motion.  The  gold  being  heavier  than  the  dirt,  settles  to  the 
bottom  and  is  caught  by  the  bars,  while  the  dirt  washes  over  and 
out  at  the  lower  end. 

Other  parties  were  engaged  in  what  is  called  "coyote  dig- 
ging," which  is  digging  a  pit  or  well  down  through  a  level  spot 
in  some  bend  of  the  river.  They  dig  through  the  alluvial  deposit, 
in  some  places  to  a  depth  of  thirty  feet,  to  the  bed  rock,  where 
they  are  pretty  sure  to  get  well  paid  for  their  labour.  Others 
again  were  wandering  up  and  down  the  margin  of  the  river, 
watching  with  eagle  eyes  for  the  shining  particles  upon  the  sur- 
face, while  a  number  of  Indians  were  busy  with  their  tin  pans, 
wherever  the  whites  would  allow  them  to  wedge  in.  The  place 
was  wild  and  rugged  in  the  extreme;  huge,  precipitous  hills  on 
both  sides,  and  the  face  of  the  river  a  mass  of  rocks  from  the 
size  of  an  ox  cart  down  to  pebbles  and  gravel. 

On  our  return  my  mule  seemed  disposed  to  adopt  his  own 
rate  of  locomotion.  I  had  worn  out  one  stick  about  his  hide, 
and,  seeing  a  good  one  lying  in  the  path,  I  dismounted  to  get  it. 
To  do  this  I  had  to  go  behind  the  animal,  and  just  as  I  had 
picked  up  the  stick  and  had  raised  myself  to  the  perpendicular, 
Mr.  Mule  raised  himself  up  on  his  forelegs,  threw  out  his  hind 
ones  in  a  horizontal  direction,  and  hit  me  a  whopper  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  abdomen,  sending  me  to  measure  my  length 
backward  upon  the  grass.  Fortunately  his  hoofs  were  not  shod, 
and  very  fortunately  I  am  short  in  stature. 

On  our  way  down  we  met  a  drove  of  fifty  pack  mules  trot- 
ting along  in  single  file,  each  with  a  pack  saddle  containing  a 
load  of  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  They 
were  bound  to  Nevada,  fifty  miles  farther  up,  and,  as  its  name 
implies,  a  region  of  perpetual  snow.  The  price  of  transportation 
the  muleteers  said  was  twenty-five  cents  a  pound. 

In  introducing  Mrs.  Powers  into  this  narrative  I  have  said 
that  she  was  an  energetic  woman.  In  addition  to  her  household 
duties,  having  ten  boarders,  she  managed  a  dairy  of  seventeen 
cows,  and  had  regular  customers  for  most  of  her  milk,  at  sev- 
enty-five cents  a  quart,  and  the  residue  she  sold  to  transient 
callers  at  one  dollar  a  quart.    Think  of  this,  ye  city  dames,  with 


KISSING  A  BOY  113 

your  silks  and  satins,  your  novels,  balls  and  your  miserable 
ennui ! 

Sept.  20. — I  stepped  into  the  principal  gambling  saloon  last 
evening  as  a  looker-on.  The  place  was,  as  usual,  crowded.  At 
one  of  the  tables  sat  a  very  pretty  boy,  dealing  out  the  cards, 
and  the  owner  of  the  establishment  sat  next  him.  The  lad  was 
neatly  dressed  in  white  trousers,  a  little  foot  in  a  shining  slipper, 
and  an  open-work  sock  exposed  a  well- formed  ankle.  He  had 
a  blue  frock  coat  with  small  gold  buttons,  a  buff  vest  thrown 
open  in  front.  His  shirt  collar  rolled  down  a  la  Byron,  expos- 
ing a  beautiful  clear  neck,  down  which  hung  a  profusion  of 
chestnut  curls. 

The  player  who  sat  next  to  him  threw  his  arm  around  the 
lad's  neck  and  gave  him  a  loving  kiss.  A  terrible  row  followed 
immediately.  The  banker  knocked  the  man  down,  but  he  got 
up  again,  drew  his  revolver  and  shot  the  gambler  a  flesh  wound, 
and  was  about  to  repeat  the  fire  when  he  was  seized  by  the  by- 
standers. The  banker  knocked  him  down  a  second  time.  The 
company  took  both  sides  and  a  general  melee  followed,  with 
broken  heads  and  bloody  noses. 

And  all  about  a  man's  kissing  a  boy!  No.  It  was  no  boy 
at  all.  A  respectable  widow  lady  had  come  from  Boston  to 
mend  her  circumstances,  bringing  with  her  an  only  daughter 
about  sixteen  years  of  age.  One  reason  for  coming  here  was 
the  hope  of  weaning  her  daughter's  affections  from  a  dissipated 
young  man  that  was  paying  his  addresses  to  her.  She  had  been 
seduced  by  this  rascally  gambler  and  had  run  away  with  him. 
Her  mother  heard  of  her  at  this  place  and  came  up  here  and 
took  her  home  to  Sacramento,  but  the  poor  girl's  ruin  had  been 
already  effected  and  she  returned  to  her  infamy  dressed  in  boy's 
clothing.  Now  she  and  her  story  attract  more  customers  to  that 
table  than  all  the  rest  of  them  together. 

In  the  afternoon  I  took  a  stroll  out  to  the  burial  ground, 
where  lie  the  remains  of  poor  Louis.  It  is  about  an  acre  of 
clay  soil,  baked  as  dry  as  lime  rock,  enclosed  in  a  common  rail 
fence.  I  would  like  to  place  a  headstone  there  to  mark  this  two 
by  six  feet  home,  but  his  doctor's  bill  and  funeral  charges  ab- 


II4  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

sorbed  more  than  I  owed  him,  and  I  have  not  the  means.  Poor 
Martin!    "Requiescat  in  pace!" 

The  two  Englishmen  who  came  to  my  assistance  when  on 
the  snag  I  found  here  keeping  a  fruit  stand  in  a  tent  on  the 
square.  They  told  me  that  when  they  landed  here  they  had  only 
three  dollars  between  them.  They  went  to  work  for  a  few  days 
and  gathered  up  a  sum  sufficient  to  start  this  business,  and  are 
in  a  fair  way  to  get  ahead.  While  I  stood  there  talking  with 
them  a  miner  came  along  and  asked  the  price  of  a  pear.  It  was 
one  dollar.  He  took  the  pear  and  threw  down  a  dollar  with 
as  much  difference  as  a  child  would  give  his  cent  for  a  stick 
of  candy. 

Boys  are  carrying  about  baskets  of  wild  grapes  to  the  houses, 
and  sell  them  at  $1.50  a  pound,  and  this  notwithstanding  the 
banks  of  the  river  are  encumbered  with  grapevines  and  they  are 
to  be  had  for  the  gathering.  While  on  this  subject  I  remark 
that  for  remarkable  size  and  richness  of  flavour  the  fruits  and 
vegetables  of  California  far  surpass  anything  of  the  kind  I  have 
ever  seen  or  heard  of  in  any  part  of  the  world.  It  is  no  uncom- 
mon thing  to  see  turnips  and  onions  twelve  or  fifteen  inches  in 
diameter,  and  the  San  Francisco  newspapers  notice  a  beet,  now 
on  exhibition  at  the  market  house  in  that  city,  that  weighs  one 
hundred  and  forty-nine  pounds  and  is  as  large  as  a  flour  barrel! 

Now,  it  at  first  seems  matter  of  astonishment  how  such  enor- 
mous vegetables  can  grow  on  a  clay  soil,  baked  by  the  scorching 
rays  of  an  unobscured  sun,  without  a  drop  of  rain  for  six 
months.  But  break  away  the  crusty  surface,  and  remove  the 
turnip  carefully,  and  you  find  that  from  the  center  of  the  under 
side  a  little  fiber,  no  bigger  than  a  pipe  stem,  shoots  down 
through  the  crust  and  draws  sustenance  from  a  depth  of  two  or 
three  feet.  The  grasses  and  cereals  get  their  start  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  rainy  season  and  come  to  maturity  before  the 
middle  of  the  summer.  Wheat  yields  a  hundredfold,  and  con- 
tinues to  produce  for  two  more  years  without  resowing.  As  for 
grapes  and  wild  fruits,  such  as  blackberries,  raspberries,  etc., 
they  must  be  seen  and  tasted  to  be  properly  estimated.  In  regard 
to  wine,  California  is  to  be  to  the  Pacific  what  the  south  of 
Europe  is  to  the  Atlantic. 


RETURN  TO   MARYSVILLE  115 

I  had  been  obliged  to  leave  the  disposal  of  my  goods  to  Mr. 
Farish.  He  effected  sales  slowly,  but  as  fast  as  he  raised  any 
money  for  me  I  sent  it  to  my  creditors  in  San  Francisco.  Herein 
I  was  wrong.  The  parties  of  whom  I  had  purchased  goods  on 
credit  knew  that  they  could  not  be  insured,  and  that  in  case  of 
loss  I  should  be  unable  to  pay.  They  therefore  took  the  risk 
into  account  in  fixing  prices,  and  in  that  sense  they  stood  as 
underwriters.  The  proper  course  would  have  been  first  to  reim- 
burse myself  for  my  cash  outlay,  and  then,  if  there  was  any 
surplus,  to  divide  it  among  those  I  owed.  But  I  was  so  broken 
by  my  misfortune  as  to  be  incapable  of  sound  judgment,  and 
very  much  needed  a  friendly  adviser. 

Towards  the  end  of  September  the  cholera  broke  out  in  San 
Francisco  and  caused  great  trepidation.  It  instantly  occurred  to 
me  that  if  the  disorder  should  increase  it  would  cause  a  great 
scattering  and  many  would  flee  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  it 
would  be  a  good  time  to  put  in  execution  an  enterprise  which 
Mr.  Plumer  had  often  talked  to  me  about.  This  was  to  pur- 
chase a  good  ship  and  take  her  home  by  way  of  Honolulu,  China 
or  India.  I  was  now  exceedingly  anxious  to  be  on  my  way 
towards  "home,"  and  I  went  down  to  Sacramento  to  look  at  a 
fine  barque  that  had  been  lying  there  some  time  for  sale,  but  I 
was  too  late ;  she  had  been  disposed  of. 

On  my  return  to  Marysville  I  found  my  sloop  and  all  my 
goods  in  the  hands  of  the  sheriff.  Mr.  Hudson,  one  of  the  firm 
of  whom  I  had  bought  the  sloop,  had  come  up  to  this  place,  and, 
finding  me  absent,  he  supposed  I  was  about  to  leave  clandes- 
tinely (he  did  not  know  me),  and  sued,  notwithstanding  I  had 
sent  them  $1,000,  and  he  had  attached  all  I  had.  Here,  now,  I 
was  with  all  my  goods  taken  out  of  my  control  and  my  sloop 
in  limbo.  I  saw  at  once  that  after  the  lawyers,  court  and  sheriff 
had  taken  their  slices  from  the  loaf  there  would  be  only  the 
crust  left,  but  I  could  not  realize  that  the  result  would  be  so  bad 
as  it  proved,  and  I  made  an  arrangement  with  the  sheriff  to 
allow  Mr.  F.  to  go  on  selling,  holding  the  proceeds  subject  to 
the  order  of  the  court.  Capt.  Powers  and  Mr.  F.  kindly  offering 
to  bond  the  sloop  for  me,  I  took  her  down  to  San  Francisco 
in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  use  her  to  some  advantage. 


n6  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

As  I  neared  Sacramento  I  thought  the  city  was  on  fire;  vol- 
umes of  black  smoke  were  rising  from  all  quarters.  The  cholera 
had  commenced  its  havoc  and  the  health  police  were  burning 
the  masses  of  corruption  in  the  streets.  Everybody  seemed  to 
consider  the  highway  as  the  common  receptacle  for  all  their 
animal  and  vegetable  offal,  and,  the  city  being  built  on  low  and 
swampy  ground,  was  just  the  place  for  the  cholera  to  rage  with 
its  greatest  virulence.  Most  of  the  places  of  business  were 
closed,  and  three-fourths  of  the  population  had  run  off,  in  double- 
quick  time,  to  the  mountain  elevations.  One  of  the  first  victims 
to  this  cruel  destroyer  was  Capt.  William  Rand,  of  Roxbury, 
an  old  acquaintance  in  the  Russia  trade.  He  was  sailing  a  small 
schooner  in  the  river  business  and  was  taken  at  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening  and  was  a  corpse  before  morning.  I  passed  this 
nest  of  pestilence  without  stopping. 

As  I  passed  Suisun  Bay  the  air  was  filled  with  immense  and 
countless  flocks  of  wild  geese  just  preparing  to  start  on  their 
southern  migration,  and  as  I  approached  the  Straits  of  Car- 
quinez  they  were  alighting  in  countless  myriads  on  the  coast 
opposite  to  Benicia.  They  had  not  yet  become  sufficiently  ac- 
quainted with  the  common  enemy,  man,  and  suffered  themselves 
to  be  taken  by  hand  or  knocked  down  with  clubs. 

I  arrived  at  San  Francisco,  from  this  unfortunate  voyage, 
on  the  15th  of  October,  and  found  that  so  many  small  steamers 
had  been  built  in  a  hurry  and  put  into  the  river  trade  that  the 
sailing  craft  were  completely  used  up,  and  were  lying  all  about 
on  the  flats  abandoned.  The  Sophronia  was  laid  up  among  the 
rest.  She  had  made  two  trips  to  Stockton,  but  instead  of  earn- 
ing me  anything,  she  had  run  me  in  debt  a  hundred  dollars.  The 
lad  who  had  remained  with  me  in  the  Merlin  had  a  claim  of 
$120  for  wages,  and  I  was  obliged  to  sell  the  Sophronia  at  auc- 
tion. She  brought  $300.    She  had  cost  me  nearly  three  thousand. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


A  SPECULATION. 


Before  I  went  to  Marysville,  as  I  was  coming  one  day  down 
Clay  street,  I  passed  an  auction  room  where  they  were  selling 
real  estate.  My  star  of  destiny  led  me  in.  There  was  a  fine 
map  of  San  Jose,  the  capital  of  California,  and  the  auctioneer 
was  selling  off  city  lots.  Parties  stood  by,  and  as  fast  as  the 
lots  were  put  up,  they  were  run  up  by  them  probably  fictitiously, 
to  entrap  the  unwary. 

Fool  like  I  bid  off  seven  lots  in  what  appeared  to  be  the  heart 
of  the  city.  I  noticed  that  they  were  knocked  off  to  me  at  prices 
considerably  below  what  other  lots  not  so  well  situated  sold  for, 
but  this  did  not  open  my  eyes.  I  paid  $1,000  for  the  whole. 
Now,  thought  I,  I  am  a  landholder  as  well  as  the  rest  of  you. 
I  knew  that  lots  in  San  Francisco  that  had  been  purchased  for 
$100  had  in  a  few  months  been  resold  for  thousands,  and  I  saw 
not  why  lots  in  the  capital  should  not  turn  out  as  well. 

I  sent  my  deed  up  to  be  recorded  by  an  expressman,  and  gave 
him  five  dollars  to  pay  for  recording,  with  directions  to  leave 
the  deed  with  Mr.  Plummer  on  his  return.  Not  finding  the  deed 
there  on  my  return,  I  called  at  the  express  office ;  it  had  changed 
hands  and  I  could  get  no  satisfaction.  A  few  days  afterwards 
I  met  a  gentleman  from  San  Jose  and  inquired  about  my  lots. 
He  said  that  if  San  Jose  continued  to  be  the  capital  of  the  state 
it  might  enlarge,  so  as  in  the  course  of  twenty  years  to  include 
my  property,  but  that  at  present  they  were  of  no  value  whatever, 
and  it  was  not  worth  my  while  to  spend  a  dollar  or  an  hour  in 
hunting  up  the  deed.  The  auction  was  a  mere  Peter  Funk  con- 
cern, and  the  parties  who  stood  by  and  bid  so  voraciously  were 
only  decoy  ducks,  and  whenever  a  bona  fide  bidder  like  myself 
appeared,  they  stood  back  out  of  charity. 

I  had  taken  to  my  own  account  a  lot  of  bread,  beef  and  pork 
that  had  been  left  of  the  Alhatnbra's  stores,  and  had  shipped  it 

117 


u8  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

to  Panama,  where,  by  the  last  account,  it  was  much  wanted,  and 
I  fully  expected  to  find  a  good  return  awaiting  me  here,  but  the 
barque  that  took  it  down  never  returned  and  I  never  heard  what 
became  of  her. 

San  Francisco  has  continued  to  grow  broader  and  deeper  and 
more  substantial.  Montgomery  street  is  now  all  rebuilt  with 
fireproof  buildings,  that  is,  the  walls  are  brick  and  from  two  to 
three  feet  thick;  the  doors  and  windows  have  iron  shutters,  the 
roofs  are  slated,  the  partition  walls  rising  six  feet  above  them; 
there  is  no  woodwork  exposed. 

The  city  has  very  much  altered  in  another  respect.  When 
I  first  came  here  there  were  no  thieves  or  assassins,  or,  if  there 
were,  they  could  get  their  living  so  much  easier  in  an  honest  way 
that  it  was  not  worth  their  while  to  run  the  risk  of  detection  and 
punishment  by  lynch  law.  But  now  robberies,  assaults  and  mur- 
ders are  among  the  common  occurrences  of  the  times.  With  the 
immense  immigration  have  come  the  rascals  of  all  nations,  the 
"most  enlightened  nation"  furnishing  by  far  the  greatest  number. 
England's  convicts  doomed  to  exile  in  Van  Dieman's  land  have 
been  set  loose  from  Botany  Bay,  and  have  come  here  in  droves. 

There  is  a  low  grog  shop  in  Jackson  street  opposite  the  store 
of  Messrs.  Stuart  and  Raines.  It  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Syd- 
ney convicts,  a  scene  of  drunken  revelry  and  rascality.  It  is 
called  the  Port  Philip  House.  Here  is  concocted  most  of  the 
villainy  that  is  now  so  rife,  and  from  this  den  of  infamy  issue 
the  rascals  to  execute  it,  and  yet  the  police  pay  no  regard  to  it. 
If  a  robber  or  even  a  murderer  is  by  chance  arrested;  he  is  never 
brought  to  punishment ;  he  either  escapes  from  the  rat-trap  gaol, 
or,  if  brought  to  trial,  he  goes  clear  from  some  flaw  in  the  indict- 
ment, or  the  witnesses  are  not  to  be  found,  or  else,  as  some  say, 
he  bribes  the  officers  of  justice  with  his  ill-gotten  gains.  "By 
hook  or  by  crook"  he  escapes. 

This  laxity  on  the  part  of  the  magistrates  has  at  last  aroused 
the  indignation  of  the  community,  and  induced  a  large  portion  of 
the  respectable  classes  to  form  themselves  into  an  association  for 
the  detection  and  prompt  punishment  of  crime.  They  have 
styled  themselves  "The  Committee  of  Vigilance,"  have  adopted 
the  most  summary  mode  of  proceedings  and  given  public  notice 


NO  RAIN  119 

of  their  intentions.  Woe  be  to  the  miserable  wretches  who  may 
fall  into  their  clutches. 

A  party  of  four  ruffians  went  on  board  the  brig  James  Caskie 
in  the  night,  attacked  Capt.  Jones  in  his  cabin  and  left  him  for 
dead  shut  up  in  a  stateroom,  plundered  his  desk  of  what  money 
he  had  on  board  and  retired  unmolested.  Capt.  Jones  owes  his 
recovery  to  his  wife,  who  fortunately  was  with  him. 

Not  being  able  to  obtain  any  freight  for  the  Merlin,  and  it 
being  necessary  to  deliver  her  in  Marysville,  I  made  an  arrange- 
ment with  Capt.  William  Le  Craw  for  a  load  of  lumber  from 
his  ship,  and  undertook  another  trip  up  the  river.  It  was  now 
the  end  of  the  year  1850,  and  in  all  the  eighteen  hundred  and 
forty-nine  years  that  had  preceded  it,  never  was  one  known  to 
pass  without  its  regular  rainy  season,  raising  the  rivers  in  No- 
vember and  keeping  them  up  till  May  or  June.  Last  year  at 
this  time  a  line  of  battleships  might  have  floated  up  to  Marys- 
ville. I  fully  expected  that  the  southerly  gales  of  winter  would 
carry  me  up  in  a  week,  and  started  in  hopes  of  making  enough 
on  my  lumber  to  pay  the  expense  of  getting  the  sloop  up,  and 
leave  me  four  or  five  hundred  dollars  to  send  to  my  wife. 

I  took  with  me  two  lads  at  $100  each  a  month  and  an  Irish- 
man to  work  his  passage.  But  oh!  my  unfortunate  career! 
On  arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sacramento,  the  wind  left  me, 
and  throughout  the  months  of  January  and  February  I  toiled  un- 
der a  blazing  sun  without  a  cloud  as  big  as  a  pocket  handker- 
chief to  be  seen,  not  a  drop  of  rain,  and  mosquitoes  as  thick  and 
troublesome  as  they  were  in  August. 

Towards  the  end  of  February  I  once  more  reached  Nicolaus 
and  found  the  river  some  inches  lower  than  it  was  when  here 
last.  To  get  the  sloop  any  further  loaded  was  impossible,  and  I 
landed  the  deckload,  and  sent  it  along  in  teams  at  a  cost  of  $25 
a  thousand.  There  was  no  sale  for  it  here,  all  building  had 
ceased  and  "the  city"  was  being  unbuilt  and  transported  to 
Marysville.  I  started  again  with  a  breeze,  a  dangerous  breeze, 
for  I  had  not  advanced  more  than  three  miles  before  this  ill- 
fated  craft,  drawing  only  three  feet,  ran  her  confounded  nose 
against  another  unseen  snag,  stove  a  hole  in  her  bow,  and  filled 
in  five  minutes,  but  being  full  of  dry  lumber  she  could  not  sink. 


I2o  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

If  the  craft  had  sunk  in  forty  fathoms  the  first  time  she  hit  a 
snag,  I  should  not  have  been  the  miserable  wretch  I  was.  We 
had  but  just  time  to  get  our  beds  and  clothing  out  of  the  cuddy. 

The  Irishman  had  an  old  India  rubber  tent.  It  was  sunset 
and  we  took  the  tent  on  shore,  and  under  that  we  stowed  heads 
and  heels  for  the  night.  In  the  morning,  the  sand  all  around 
was  imprinted  with  tracks  of  grizzly  bears  that  had  come  down 
to  the  river  during  the  night.  These  animals  seldom  attack  any 
one  unless  provoked. 

Paddy's  tent  had  other  inhabitants  besides  ourselves  as  I 
found  by  sundry  hitherto  unexperienced  bites  and  nips  of  a  pecu- 
liar sensation.  They  were  neither  fleas  nor  bedbugs,  which  in- 
duced me  to  examine  my  flannels.  I  found  that  I  was  harbouring 
a  colony  of  those  pestiferous  little  zoophites  which  the  Latins 
called  "Pediculus  Humani  Corporis."  There  was  no  way  .of 
abating  this  nuisance  till  I  could  get  rid  of  Pat,  and  his  services 
were  too  valuable  to  think  of  putting  him  on  shore  here.  I  shud- 
der now  when  I  think  of  those  parasites. 

By  great  exertion  we  got  the  sloop  afloat  and  repaired  the 
damage  as  well  as  we  could  under  water,  and  pushed  on  again, 
but  before  night  she  poked  her  other  cheek  against  another  snag, 
smash  went  another  hole,  and  once  more  she  filled  in  a  few  min- 
utes. I  believe  I  should  now  have  abandoned  her  altogether  if 
my  friends  at  Marysville  had  not  been  liable  for  $2,000  to  produce 
her  at  the  call  of  the  sheriff.  I  could  not  think  of  letting  them 
suffer,  and  once  more  I  got  her  off  and  persevered  against  hope. 
She  was  now  like  a  Chinese  junk,  she  had  a  great  eye  on  each 
bow,  and  as  John  Chinaman  would  say,  "Now  can  see." 

She  did  not  hit  any  more  snags  and  the  next  day  I  tied  her 
up  at  Plumas.  As  this  place  is  in  the  same  county  as  Marysville, 
I  thought  I  could  persuade  the  sheriff  to  receive  her  here,  and  I 
went  up  to  Marysville  with  that  in  view.  But  it  was  no  go,  he 
required  to  have  her  placed  where  I  took  her  from,  and  with  a 
heavy  heart  I  returned  to  wind  up  this  miserable  business. 

When  I  got  back  to  Plumas  there  was  a  corpse  hanging  to 
a  branch  of  a  tree  that  stretched  out  over  my  sloop's  stern.  It 
was  a  noted  horsethief  that  had  been  caught,  tried,  convicted, 
sentenced  and  hung  by  an  outraged  community  during  my  ab- 


FEMALE  FRAILTY  121 

sence  of  a  few  hours.  Here  the  Irishman  left  me  and  trudged 
off  on  foot  to  visit  her  "better  half,"  who,  he  said,  was  living 
about  three  miles  above  Marysville.  My  two  boys  were  worn 
out,  and  averse  to  going  any  farther,  but  as  they  had  four 
months'  pay  due  them,  and  knew  they  could  not  demand  it  here, 
they  concluded  to  go  on. 

I  discharged  all  the  cargo.  At  last  the  rains  set  in,  and  a 
breeze  came  along  with  the  wet,  which  enabled  me  to  complete 
my  irksome  task.  I  gave  the  sloop  up  to  the  sheriff  and  she  was 
sold  at  auction  for  $400  to  the  same  party  of  whom  I  had  bought 
her  eight  months  before  for  upwards  of  $4,000. 

The  day  after  I  arrived  my  Irish  passenger  came  to  me  in 
great  tribulation,  his  eyes  were  full  of  tears,  and  it  was  some 
time  before  he  could  compose  himself  to  tell  me  his  troubles. 
At  last  he  blubbered  out :  "My  wife  what  I  left  in  me  cabin  just 
out  yonder,  with  me  leetle  cheel,  oh !  me  eyes  and  me  soul  and 
me  body,  buh-p-p-p."  "What's  the  matter,  Pat?"  said  I.  "Is 
she  dead?"  At  this  he  woke.  "Dead  is  it,"  said  he,  "and  sure, 
by  the  soul  of  Saint  Patrick,  it's  dead  I  wish  she  was.  No,  she 
has  sold  the  cabin  and  taken  me  cheel  and  the  illigant  farniter 
and  has  rinned  away  with  that  spalpeen  of  a  Mike  Sullivan  to 
the  diggins,  and  may  the  divil  git  her,  oh,  buh-p-p-p." 

One  more  instance  of  female  frailty  which  must  close  the 
chapter.  Paddy  with  his  wife  and  child  had  been  landed  at 
Monterey  some  seven  or  eight  months  previously,  from  thence 
they  found  their  way  to  Marysville  and  squatted  on  a  vacant  lot 
a  short  distance  above  the  city,  where  he  built  a  small  cabin. 
Leaving  her  there,  he  returned  to  Monterey  for  the  residue  of 
his  household  goods,  he  was  taken  sick  at  that  place,  and  was 
kept  there  two  months,  had  recovered  and  reached  San  Fran- 
cisco with  his  bags  and  bundles,  just  in  time  to  take  passage 
with  me.  During  his  absence  an  old  acquaintance  and  former 
suitor  found  her  out,  renewed  his  suit,  and  this  time  conquered. 

California  plays  the  devil  with  the  women.  But  lest  it  should 
be  said  that  I  am  too  severe  on  the  weaker  sex,  I  add  that  where 
California  has  made  one  woman  what  she  ought  not  to  be,  it  has 
made  twenty  knaves  of  men  that  were  considered  at  home  mer- 
chants of  respectability  and  honour.    Could  the  burnt  ledgers  be 


i22  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

restored,  and  true  accounts  of  sales,  devoid  of  fictitious  charges, 
be  compared  with  the  remittances,  it  would  make  many  a  man 
who  now  moves  in  a  high  sphere,  hide  his  head  in  ignominy  and 
shame.  No,  my  excellent  countrywomen,  the  world  acknowl- 
edges you  as  its  brightest  patterns  of  virtue  and  morality. 

But  to  all  general  rules  there  are  exceptions.  The  instances 
of  frailty  I  have  recorded  are  but  the  exceptions,  and  do  but  add 
the  greater  lustre  to  the  uncorrupted,  and  these  unfortunate  ex- 
ceptions have  been  made  such  by  the  boasted  lords  of  creation. 
Had  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bogert  remained  at  home  that  villainous 
cockney  doctor  would  not  have  had  the  opportunity  to  mar  their 
happiness,  and  had  not  Doctor  Pierson  in  an  evil  hour  come 
across  the  path  of  Mrs.  Haight,  the  soothing  influence  of  time 
might  have  smoothed  the  asperity  of  her  own  and  her  legitimate 
husband's  feelings  and  she  might  have  been  spared  to  be  a  happy 
wife  and  mother. 

The  harassing  trials  I  had  undergone  made  me  sick  again, 
first,  with  fever,  and  afterwards  with  weakening  diarrhea.  I 
remained  at  Marysville  a  month  to  dispose  of  my  lumber.  The 
result  was  that  owing  to  my  long  passage  and  its  injured  state 
from  being  wet,  warped  and  split,  together  with  the  expense  of 
cartage,  I  was  left  in  debt  to  Capt.  Le  Craw,  and  I  had  better  be 
the  devil's  debtor. 

Having  wound  up  my  affairs,  I  bid  adieu  to  Marysville.  Capt. 
Haight  offered  me  a  passage  down  in  his  steamer,  and  I  landed 
on  Long  Wharf  in  San  Francisco  sick  and  without  a  dollar  and 
with  no  place  to  lay  my  head. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Here  now  was  I,  the  veriest  wretch,  as  I  thought,  in  all  Cali- 
fornia. But  in  this  day  of  gloom  I  was  not  wholly  forsaken.  Capt. 
Stephen  Haskel,  who  had  formerly  been  my  mate  in  the  ship 
Arragon,  was  here  in  command  of  the  ship  Talma  of  Boston.  He 
kindly  invited  and  urged  me  to  take  up  my  abode  with  him  on 
board,  and  I  gladly  accepted  his  kind  invitation. 

I  had  no  means,  no  employment,  no  energy.  No  man  had 
worked  harder  than  I  had.  I  had  at  first  been  prospered,  and  I 
began  to  think  that  the  bright  star  of  my  destiny  had  at  last 
arisen  to  shed  its  cheering  influence  on  my  downward  path  in 
life,  but  it  had  set  again  in  gloom,  ere  it  had  risen  above  the 
"mirage"  of  malignant  refraction.  A  constitutional  melancholy, 
which  has  afflicted  me  through  life  at  intervals,  now  seized  upon 
me  with  tenfold  force,  and  for  four  weary  months  I  wandered 
about  this  busy  town  without  an  object,  and  completely  pros- 
trated. 

In  this  dilemma  a  gentleman  on  whom  I  had  no  claim,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  he  who  had  lost  more  by  me  than  any  other  man, 
stood  forth  my  disinterested  friend.  This  gentleman  was  Bard 
Plummer,  Esq.,  and  while  I  live  I  shall  never  cease  to  be  grate- 
ful to  that  man.  It  will  probably  never  be  in  my  power  to  recip- 
rocate his  kindness,  and  I  here  charge  you,  my  boys,  should  you 
be  prospered  in  life,  and  occasion  call  for  it,  never  forget  Mr. 
Plummer's  kindness  to  your  father. 

He  voluntarily  offered  to  buy  a  vessel  for  me  whenever  I 
could  find  one  to  suit  me,  and  let  me  take  her  and  find  my  way 
home  in  her  the  best  way  I  could. 

The  "Vigilance  Committee"  had  now  begun  their  work  in 
earnest.  Some  of  the  members  in  their  patrol  arrested  a  Sydney 
covey  by  the  name  of  Jenkins,  who  had  been  concerned  in  a  num- 
ber of  villainous  transactions,  but  nothing  legally  calling  for 
capital  punishment.  Capt.  Haskel  and  myself  were  awakened 
by  the  clang  of  the  well  known  signal  bell,  which  had  a  sound 

123 


i24  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

different  from  all  the  other  bells  in  the  city.  I  rushed  on  deck, 
expecting  to  see  the  devoted  town  once  more  in  flames,  but  all 
was  dark.  It  was  the  deathknell  of  the  wretched  culprit  Jen- 
kins. 

He  had  been  arrested  in  the  evening  and  received  a  hurried, 
though  doubtless  a  fair  trial.  The  proof  of  his  villainies  was 
strong  as  Holy  Writ.  He  was  sentenced  to  be  hung  imme- 
diately. A  rope  was  fixed  around  his  neck;  he  was  dragged  to 
Portsmouth  Square  and  hung  at  midnight  to  a  beam  that  pro- 
jected out  over  the  door  of  the  Custom  House. 

A  few  days  afterwards  a  man  was  caught  in  the  act  of  steal- 
ing a  trunk  from  a  room  on  Long  Wharf  and  the  room  was 
found  to  be  on  fire.  He  was  handed  over  to  the  Vigilance  Com- 
mittee and  was  hung  to  a  derrick  on  California  Street  Wharf. 

But  the  most  awful  deed  remains  to  be  told,  and  I  forereach  a 
few  weeks  in  order  to  make  a  connected  story.  During  my  ab- 
sence up  the  river  on  my  last  trip,  two  ruffians  from  the  Port 
Philip  House  went  into  a  store  that  stood  next  to  that  den  of 
infamy,  assaulted  and  left  for  dead  the  owner  (Mr.  Jansen)  and 
robbed  him  of  his  treasure.  The  police  had  at  last  begun  to 
show  some  energy,  and  they  soon  arrested  these  two  rascals,  and 
confined  them  to  await  trial.  But  think  of  confining  a  Sydneyite 
in  a  common  jail !  You-  might  as  well  bind  a  lion  with  a 
yarn  rope.  As  a  matter  of  course  they  escaped,  and  a  short  time 
afterwards  they  were  heard  of  as  committing  a  highway  rob- 
bery and  murder  in  the  County  of  Yuba.  They  were  again  ar- 
rested, examined  and  sent  off  to  Sacramento  to  be  confined  in  the 
"Prison  Brig,"  but  they  "vamoosed"  on  the  road. 

Well,  about  the  20th  of  August  some  of  the  vigilant  mem- 
bers of  the  Vigilance  Committee  ferreted  them  out  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Sacramento,  bound  them,  and  brought  them  down 
to  San  Francisco  and  confined  them  with  chains  in  the 
Committee  room.  The  legal  authorities  demanded  them,  but  the 
Committee  refused  to  give  them  up,  and  kept  them  with  the  view 
of  extorting  some  clew  to  their  associates,  in  which  they  par- 
tially succeeded.  One  of  them  (Stuart)  made  a  full  confession 
of  all  his  nefarious  transactions,  including  the  murderous  assault 
upon  Capt.  Jones  in  the  cabin  of  the  James  Caskie. 


VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE  125 

Now  the  Governor  had  issued  a  proclamation  calling  on  all 
good  citizens  to  assist  the  civil  authorities  in  preserving  law  and 
order,  and  particularly  warning  all  to  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  Committee  of  Vigilance,  but  his  proclamation  was  treated 
with  contempt.  The  public,  or  what  I  must  call  the  mobbish 
sentiment,  was  with  the  Committee,  and  a  fearful  contest  was 
apprehended.  The  Committee  room  was  guarded  at  night  by 
portions  of  the  members  armed  to  the  teeth.  One  night  the  Gov- 
ernor, the  Mayor,  sheriff,  judges,  a  large  police  force,  and  a 
number  of  law-abiding  citizens  proceeded  to  the  room,  overpow- 
ered the  guard,  and  took  away  the  culprits  to  the  city  prison. 
The  next  day  when  these  proceedings  became  known  publicly, 
the  excitement  was  terrible.  Thousands  of  the  most  violent 
assembled  around  the  quarters  of  the  Committee  with  two  field 
pieces,  only  awaiting  the  signal  to  commence  the  outbreak  and 
batter  down  the  walls  of  the  prison.  But  fortunately  the  Com- 
mittee adopted  the  better  part  of  valour,  and  in  a  few  days  the 
excitement  died  away,  but  it  was  only  the  calm  that  precedes 
the  hurricane. 

A  clergyman  was  in  the  practice  of  visiting  the  prison  on 
Sunday,  during  the  interval  of  his  church  services,  to  exhort  and 
pray  with  the  prisoners.  On  Sunday,  August  29,  while  he  was 
engaged  in  this,  the  most  appropriate  of  all  the  duties  of  a  Chris- 
tian minister,  a  closed  carriage  was  driven  to  the  door  of  the 
prison,  where  some  fifteen  or  twenty  of  the  most  energetic  mem- 
bers of  the  Committee  had  previously  assembled,  the  door  was 
burst  open,  and  the  two  horrified  culprits  were  seized,  hurried  into 
the  coach,  and  driven  rapidly  down  to  the  dreadful  judgment 
hall. 

At  this  moment  the  dreadful  alarm  bell  sounded  its  tocsin  of 
alarm.  In  an  instant,  as  if  an  earthquake  had  shaken  the  city, 
the  streets  were  full  of  people,  everybody  anticipating  another 
conflagration,  which  my  readers  will  not  wonder  at  when  they 
have  finished  this  narrative.  But  the  truth  became  known  at 
once,  and  thousands  upon  thousands  came  rushing  from  all  quar- 
ters towards  the  committee  room,  which  stood  in  Sansom  street, 
near  the  corner  of  California  street,  the  widest  street  in  the  city. 
Their  room  was  a  large  hall  extending  over  two  stores.    There 


I26  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

were  two  doors  in  the  front,  and  over  each  door  was  a  project- 
ing beam,  for  the  purpose  of  hoisting  up  merchandise.  At  the 
end  of  each  beam  had  been  previously  fixed  a  pulley,  and  the 
ends  of  the  line  were  taken  within  the  building,  and  the  doors 
closed.  In  ten  minutes  from  the  time  the  coach  reached  the  hall, 
the  doors  were  suddenly  thrown  open  and  headlong  came  a  miser- 
able wretch  from  each  doorway,  and  they  were  hoisted  to  the  beam 
ends,  amid  the  gibes,  the  shouts,  the  screeches,  and  the  horrid 
blasphemy  of  ten  thousand  of  their  fellow  creatures,  who  filled 
the  streets,  the  wharves,  the  lumber  yards  and  crowded  the  roofs 
of  the  stores  and  the  spars  of  the  shipping. 

Now,  whatever  cause  there  might  have  been  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Committee  of  Vigilance,  and  certainly  some  action  on 
the  part  of  the  community  was  necessary,  still  I  think  they  have 
gone  too  far.  Had  they  devoted  themselves  to  the  object  of  as- 
sisting and  watching  the  constituted  authorities  and  providing 
suitable  prison  houses,  their  name  would  then  have  been  appro- 
priate. But  like  all  excited  multitudes,  when  once  under  head- 
way, they  knew  not  when  to  stop.  Besides,  some  of  the  most 
prominent  members  of  that  association  are  men  as  worthy  of  pun- 
ishment of  some  kind  as  the  wretched  victims  whom  they  have 
lawlessly  sent,  without  a  moment's  preparation,  to  meet  their 
God. 

The  man  who  was  the  most  active  at  the  execution  of  the 
first  culprit  Jenkins,  he  who  fixed  the  rope  about  the  victim's 
neck,  and  who  acted  the  part  of  boatswain,  and  cried  "Yo  heave, 
ho,"  "and  up  he  rises,"  was  himself  a  runaway  from  justice  in 
another  state,  a  man  whose  object  it  is  to  court  the  applause  of 
the  vulgar  populace,  whether  fair  or  foul,  a  rowdy,  who  is  at  any 
moment  liable  to  a  requisition  from  the  Governor  of  New  York 
for  a  state  prison  offense.  I  mean  Capt.  Wakeman,  he  who  ran 
away  from  New  York  with  the  steamer  New  World,  while  she 
was  in  custody  of  the  sheriff,  forcibly  putting  him  on  shore  at 
Sandy  Hook. 

And  the  man  who  figures  more  largely  than  any  other,  he  who 
has  made  all  the  speeches,  and  who  is,  in  fact,  the  "primum  mo- 
bile" of  the  whole  concern,  is  Sam  Brannan,  a  Mormon  priest, 
an  unprincipled  rascal  who  has  cheated  Capt.  Sutter  out  of  a 


VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE  127 

great  portion  of  his  estate,  and  swindled  a  former  partner  in 
business  out  of  his  share  in  the  concern,  and  who  afterwards 
raised  a  gang  of  a  hundred  desperadoes  and  went  to  the  Sand- 
wich Islands  with  the  view  of  subverting  the  government  and 
making  himself  a  nabob  on  its  ruins !  He  to  direct  the  movement 
of  two  or  three  hundred  merchants,  mechanics  and  others! 

I  am  very  glad  I  have  had  no  concern  with  that  Committee. 
In  connection  with  this  subject  there  is  a  thrilling  incident  which 
might  serve  an  author  as  the  basis  of  an  interesting  romance. 
There  was  an  unfortunate  individual  about  who  so  closely  resem- 
bled the  culprit  Stuart  that  after  he  had  broken  out  of  gaol  and 
was  still  at  large  this  individual  was  arrested  and  underwent 
a  trial  at  the  Supreme  Court.  Mr.  Jansen  identified  him  as  one 
of  the  men  who  attacked  him  in  his  store,  and  the  police  officers 
swore  positively  that  he  was  the  real  Stuart  whom  they  had 
previously  had  in  custody.  It  was  in  vain  that  the  man  declared 
that  his  name  was  not  Stuart,  but  Burdue.  He  was  convicted 
and  sentenced  to  fourteen  years'  imprisonment  in  the  state  prison 
(when  they  get  one).  He  was  then  sent  to  Marysville  to  be 
tried  for  the  murder  in  that  county.  There,  also,  he  was  iden- 
tified as  Stuart,  and  it  was  with  much  difficulty  the  police  could 
save  him  from  the  fury  of  the  populace.  He  was  again  con- 
victed, and  sentenced  to  be  hung  on  a  day  to  be  appointed  by 
the  Governor.  It  was  while  he  was  awaiting  the  Governor's 
order  that  the  Vigilance  Committee  succeeded  in  arresting  the 
real  Stuart,  who  in  his  confession  exculpated  Burdue  from  any 
share  in  his  villainies. 

Previous  to  this  another  man  ran  a  narrow  escape  from  an 
excited  multitude  from  his  resemblance  to  Stuart.  This  was  the 
captain  of  a  British  ship.  He  was  passing  quietly  along  Mont- 
gomery street  when  some  one  cried  out,  "There  goes  Stuart!" 
He  was  immediately  seized  by  an  infuriated  mob,  and  only 
escaped  being  torn  to  pieces  when  recognized  and  rescued  by  the 
consignee  of  his  ship,  who  fortunately  happened  to  get  sight  of 
him.  The  community  was  in  such  a  state  of  excitement  that  no 
one  was  safe. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

On  the  night  of  the  3rd  of  May,  1851,  just  one  year  from  a 
destructive  fire,  I  had  retired  early  to  bed,  but  not  to  sleep.  At 
about  eleven  o'clock  I  heard  the  first  twang  of  that  infernal  bell. 
In  a  moment  I  was  on  deck  and  found  the  devoted  city  once 
more  doomed  to  destruction.  The  whole  northeast  side  of  Ports- 
mouth Square  was  in  flames;  the  furious  nor' wester,  which  had 
lulled  away  at  sunset,  reawakened  by  the  heat  of  the  conflagra- 
tion, was  rushing  down  the  gully  between  Signal  Hill  and  the 
heights  that  form  the  background,  driving  the  flaming  mass 
directly  over  that  portion  of  the  city  that  had  been  burnt  up  in 
June  last,  and  also  over  a  fleet  of  two  hundred  ships  that  lay 
together  in  the  flats  in  such  manner  as  to  be  utterly  inextricable. 

Those  man  toys  they  call  fire  engines  were  rattling  away  to 
the  scene,  with  the  shouts  of  the  companies  and  the  tinkling  of 
their  polished  bells,  but  they  are  of  no  more  use  than  an  old 
maid's  teapot  or  a  syringe  from  the  medicine  chest.  A  company 
get  their  machine  placed  in  the  right  position  to  attack  a  building 
on  fire,  the  hose  is  nicely  placed  in  its  serpentine  track,  the  pipe- 
holder  grasps  his  squirting  tube  and  aims  it  at  the  roof,  expecting 
to  see  the  shingles  fly  like  feathers  in  a  hurricane.  The  fireman 
puts  his  silver  trumpet  to  his  mouth  and  bawls  out,  "Play  away 
No.  4 !"  But  No.  4  has  "absquatulated."  A  large  wooden  build- 
ing directly  in  their  rear  had  burst  into  flames  as  suddenly  as 
a  haystack,  and  they  have  much  to  do  to  save  their  water  cart 
and  trundle  it  to  another  position.  All  the  fire  engines  in  Amer- 
ica cannot  stop  a  San  Francisco  conflagration. 

Washington  and  Clay  streets  run  from  the  northwest  and 
southeast  sides  of  Portsmouth  Square;  up  these  two  streets  the 
fire  urged  its  way,  against  the  wind,  to  Stockton  Street,  and  from 
that  to  Powell  Street,  and  along  Powell  it  ran  in  a  southeasterly 
direction,  crossing  Sacramento  and  California  to  Market  Street, 
and  in  the  northwest  it  leaped  Jackson  and  Pacific  streets  to 
Broadway.    From  Broadway  to  Market  Street  is  half  a  mile,  and 

128 


ANOTHER  FIRE  129 

from  Powell  Street  to  the  bay  is  from  one-fourth  to  one-third 
of  a  mile.  These  boundaries  include  a  space  of  a  hundred  acres 
which  at  sunset  stood  thickly  studded  with  buildings.  By  4  a.  m. 
the  whole  was  cleared  away,  with  the  exception  of  three  build- 
ings in  Montgomery  Street,  burning  five  large  store-ships  full 
of  merchandise,  one  of  them  the  Niantic,  so  miraculously  saved 
in  June  last,  which  had  been  enclosed  in  a  wall  of  sheet  iron. 
She  might  as  well  have  been  wrapped  in  brown  paper.  Fortu- 
nately the  city  authorities  had  procured  a  depot  for  the  gun- 
powder in  the  outskirts. 

All  the  rest  of  those  brick  buildings  in  Montgomery  Street, 
which  had  been  thought  to  be  fire-proof,  were  but  tinder  boxes, 
and  had  shared  the  general  fate.  In  one  of  them  the  proprietors 
(Messrs.  Tahill  &  Co.)  had,  with  some  half  a  dozen  of  their 
friends,  shut  themselves  up  with  a  supply  of  water,  feeling  confi- 
dent of  their  security.  In  the  morning  their  burnt  and  mangled 
bodies  were  found  among  the  ruins  near  the  door.  It  is  sup- 
posed that,  finding  the  building  no  longer  tenable,  they  had  en- 
deavored to  escape,  but  the  intense  heat  had  so  warped  the  iron 
doors  and  windows  that  they  could  not  be  opened.  Mr.  Wells, 
too,  the  Boston  banker,  and  three  or  four  of  his  friends,  remained 
in  his  fire-proof  building  too  long,  and  did  but  just  escape.  Mr. 
W.  got  dreadfully  burned  and  will  carry  the  marks  to  his  grave. 

In  Jackson  Street  stood  the  store  of  Messrs.  Stuart  &  Raines, 
and  in  the  chamber  of  their  store  were  deposited  all  my  books, 
charts  and  nautical  instruments,  and  all  my  clothing  except  a 
change  of  linen  that  I  had  with  me  in  the  Talma.  I  could  not 
leave  the  ship,  for  it  required  our  constant  attention  to  extin- 
guish the  burning  matter  that  was  continually  falling  on  board. 

When  daylight  appeared,  from  Clark's  Point  to  Happy  Val- 
ley there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  except  the  three  brick  buildings 
before  mentioned  and  the  foundations  of  that  portion  of  the  city 
which  had  stood  over  the  water.  Here  ten  thousand  piles  were 
standing  up  in  the  mud,  with  their  tops  burnt  to  the  water's 
edge,  resembling  (to  use  a  low  comparison)  so  many  blackheads 
and  yellownecks  of  monster  clams  standing  up  in  Joppa  flats. 
The  Custom  House  was  destroyed;  with  the  books  and  ships' 


i3° 


A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 


papers  in  the  vault  of  that  building  were  three  millions  of  treas- 
ure. 

Minutely  to  describe  this  dreadful  conflagration  is  beyond 
my  power.  The  awful  demon  of  Nature's  most  destructive  ele- 
ment had  been  let  loose  at  a  moment  when  another  demon  had 
arisen  to  fan  its  fury,  and  had  wiped  out,  in  a  twinkling,  the 
grandest  result  of  human  enterprise  the  world  has  ever  seen,  or 
ever  can  see. 

In  the  morning,  when  I  landed,  I  went  over  to  Messrs.  Stuart 
&  Raines'  lot.  It  was  entirely  clear;  there  was  not  a  piece  of 
timber  left  large  enough  to  make  a  clothespin.  I  found  Mr. 
Stuart  engaged  in  contracting  with  a  builder  for  a  new  store  to 
be  ready  for  occupancy  in  one  week.  All  over  the  ruins  men 
were  at  work  clearing  away  the  rubbish  preparatory  to  rebuild- 
ing their  city  and  getting  it  ready  for  another  conflagration, 
which  took  place  six  weeks  afterwards. 

It  was  on  the  fatal  thirteenth  day  of  June;  it  was  Sunday, 
and  Capt.  Haskel  and  I  had  left  the  Talma,  intending  to  go  to 
church.  We  called  on  board  the  James  Caskie  for  Capt.  Jones 
and  his  wife  to  accompany  us.  While  sitting  in  his  cabin  the 
bells  began  to  ring,  as  we  supposed,  for  the  morning  service ;  but 
the  accompaniment  of  ships'  bells  of  all  tones  from  double  bass 
to  contralto,  with  tin  pans  and  cow-horns,  soon  called  me  upon 
deck.  Thick  smoke  and  flames  were  rising  from  a  spot  far  up 
the  hill  in  the  western  section  of  the  city. 

We  hurried  on  shore,  and  I  made  my  way  through  the 
crowded  streets  to  the  spot.  The  fire  had  commenced  in  a  car- 
penter's shop  in  the  rear  of  Powell  Street,  and  might  easily  have 
been  extinguished  if  a  supply  of  water  had  been  at  hand ;  but 
there  was  none  nearer  than  the  bay,  and  before  that  could  be 
made  available  the  fire  had  again  got  the  mastery.  When  I 
reached  the  scene  the  western  side  of  Powell  Street  was  all  in 
flames.  Three  engines  were  in  this  street,  vainly  squirting  on 
the  burning  mass.  I  stood  looking  on  a  few  moments,  and  per- 
ceived the  opposite  side  of  the  street  began  to  change  colour. 
First  it  turned  yellow,  then  brown,  then  the  colour  of  burnt  cof- 
fee, and  began  to  smoke ;  the  glazing  snapped  and  flew,  thus  let- 
ting the  heat  into  the  interior;  the  cotton  linings  caught  at  once, 


AN  EXPLOSION  131 

and  at  the  same  instant  the  whole  broadside  of  the  street,  which 
was  a  continuous  range  of  wooden  buildings,  burst  into  flames. 
The  firemen  were  obliged  to  flee,  abandoning  two  of  their  ma- 
chines and  saving  the  other  at  much  risk ;  several  of  them  got 
badly  and  some  fatally  burned. 

The  flames  were  now  raging  furiously  down  Jackson  Street, 
and  I  ran  down  to  the  store  of  Messrs.  Stuart  &  Raines,  where  I 
found  the  Newburyport  delegation  busy  in  removing  their  stock 
of  goods.  Capt.  Raines  put  into  my  charge  a  trunk  containing 
their  treasure,  and  I  took  it  on  a  wheelbarrow  and  trundled  it 
away  down  Front  Street.  I  had  not  been  there  long  before 
the  fire  came  careering  down  Broadway  and  Pacific  Streets,  and 
I  was  in  danger  of  being  enclosed  between  two  fires,  and  I 
wheeled  my  barrow  down  to  the  lower  end  of  Pacific  Wharf, 
where  for  three  hours  I  remained  guarding  the  treasure  of  a  firm 
in  whose  store  all  I  had  on  earth  to  lose  was  burnt  up  six  weeks 
previously, — and  I  wondered  what  was  to  happen  to  me  next. 

As  I  stood  there  watching  the  progress  of  the  devastation  a 
terrific  explosion  in  Pacific  Street  arrested  my  attention.  It  was 
a  large  warehouse  built  with  corrugated  iron  sheets  nailed  to  a 
wooden  frame ;  in  this  building  was  stored  a  considerable  quan- 
tity of  gunpowder,  which  had  been  allowed  to  remain,  either 
unknown  to  the  fire  department  or  else  under  the  impression 
that  there  was  no  danger.  This  leveled  to  the  ground  a  large 
space,  and,  the  fire  department  taking  the  hint,  blew  up  other 
buildings  and  abandoned  their  engines,  by  which  means  and  the 
fortunate  suspension  of  the  usual  gale,  the  valuable  portion  of 
the  city  was  this  time  saved. 

The  space  cleared  off  by  this  conflagration  was  about  twenty 
acres,  but  the  buildings  were  mostly  of  an  inferior  description 
and  were  occupied  as  second  class  boarding  houses  and  retail 
shops.  Three  churches  were  burnt,  one  of  them  a  large,  new 
edifice  nearly  ready  for  dedication  belonging  to  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Society.  It  is  supposed  that  this  fire  was  the  work  of 
incendiaries.  Many  kindling  fires  have  been  discovered  lately 
by  the  patrol  of  the  Vigilance  Committee,  and  my  readers  will 
bear  in  mind  that  the  Port  Philip  miscreants  had  not  yet  been 
arrested  and  executed. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

July  4,  1 85 1. — The  city  is  alive  with  the  fun  and  frolic,  the 
drunkenness  and  rowdyism,  of  the  celebration.  I  could  take  no 
part  in  it,  and  alone  I  wandered  away  to  the  top  of  Signal  Hill, 
a  lofty  promontory  that  forms  the  northwest  boundary  of  the 
city.  The  view  from  this  spot  was  magnificently  grand.  To  the 
west  was  the  Golden  Gate ;  and  beyond,  the  vast  expanse  of  the 
Pacific.  In  every  other  direction  the  panorama  was  bounded  by 
distant  mountains,  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  rising 
in  awful  sublimity  above  the  coast  range,  and  in  the  clear  and 
pure  atmosphere,  although  at  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles, 
yet  looking  as  though  they  could  be  reached  in  an  hour's  travel. 
At  my  feet  lay  the  city  of  wonders,  every  street  and  every  build- 
ing distinctly  traceable  in  this  birds-eye  view,  while  in  front  ex- 
pands the  noble  bay,  capable  of  containing  all  the  navies  of  the 
world;  and  beyond,  another  and  still  another  beautiful  inland  bay. 

As  I  was  sitting  there  enjoying  this  glorious  panorama,  the 
booming  of  cannon  from  ships  and  shore  recalled  to  my  mind  the 
day,  and  I  reflected  upon  the  glorious  career  of  my  country,  and 
the  great  and  good  men  who  achieved  her  independence,  prom- 
inent among  whom  stands  ONE  so  deservedly  denominated  "the 
'Father'  of  his  country."  From  my  boyhood  I  have  never  been 
able  to  think  of  George  Washington  without  finding  my  eyes 
moistening  with  a  tribute  of  veneration  such  as  no  other  mortal 
of  ancient  or  modern  times  has  ever  been  able  to  call  forth. 

On  this  occasion  I  took  my  memorandum  book  and  wrote  the 
following  impromptu,  which  flowed  from  my  overcharged  brain 
as  fast  as  I  could  write  it  down: 

Immortal  Fame  once  held  a  court, 

To  crown  the  greatest,  best  of  mortals, 
And  summoned  nations  to  report, 

And  send  their  heroes  to  her  portals. 

132 


r  -  >tr.i  r  la 
-  S  6  oo  e  55  g  e 

"3  7~iiE  5  J71  ' 

So  2  5i.3_=3  = 


-•r-_z^^-_-  =  _ 


AN  IMPROMPTU   POEM  133 

First  Alexander,  surnamed  Great, 
Appeared,  the  King  of  conquered  nations, 

On  proud  Darius'  throne  he  sate 
Engrossed  with  servile  adulations. 

Then  Caesar,  on  his  golden  throne, 

A  proffered  diadem  refusing; 
Rome  boasts  this  hero  for  her  own, 

And  thinks  that  Fame  can't  err  in  choosing. 

Spain  sends  her  Philip,  far  renowned, 

And  Sweden,  Charles,  so  great  in  story; 
And  each  expects  her  hero,  crowned, 

Will  soon  return,  enshrined  in  glory. 

Old  England  now  stands  proudly  forth 

And  spreads  her  long  heroic  list; 
She  cannot  tell, — for  moral  worth, — 

Which  of  her  great  men  is  the  best. 

Then  fickle,  gay,  immoral  France 

Puts  in  her  claim  for  Fame's  "e carte" ; 
She  fancies  that,  without  a  chance, 

'Twill  settle  on  her  Bonaparte. 

Besides  the  German  Fredericks  all, 

And  low-born,  great  Muscovite  Peter, 
From  ev'ry  clime  within  Fame's  hall 

Were  gods  of  every  hue  and  feature. 

In  silence  now  the  nations  wait 

For  just,  impartial  Fame's  decision. 
Why  wait?    Because  another  great, 

Heroic,  good  man  comes  in  vision. 

Greece,  Rome,  Spain,  Sweden,  England,  Gaul, 

And  all  their  Heroes  bow  before  him; 
A  great — the  greatest  son  of  all ; 

The  nations  for  his  worth  adore  him. 

Among  them  all,  there  is  but  one 
Fame  crowns  a  Hero— Washington. 


i34  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

Just  as  I  had  finished  this  episode,  I  heard  my  name  called, 
and,  looking  up,  I  was  accosted  by  Major  Braman,  a  gentle- 
man whose  acquaintance  I  had  formed  in  Marysville.  He 
proposed  to  me  to  buy  a  ship,  and  lay  her  on  for 
Panama  for  passengers.  I  told  him  that  I  had  no  means. 
He  said  if  I  would  look  round  and  find  a  suitable  ship  and  would 
take  charge  of  her  he  would  find  the  means,  and  I  might  take 
what  interest  I  chose.  I  did  not  think  very  favourably  of  the 
operation,  but  it  would  at  least  afford  me  employment,  and  that 
was  what  I  needed  to  drive  away  my  melancholy.  He  appointed 
to  meet  me  at  10  a.  m.  the  next  day  at  the  store  of  a  mutual 
friend. 

I  knew  of  a  suitable  ship  that  could  be  had  cheap,  and  I 
called  at  the  appointed  rendezvous,  but  instead  of  meeting  the 
Major  I  was  handed  the  following  note: 

"Dear  Sir: — By  the  advice  of  friends  I  have  concluded 
not  to  engage  in  the  enterprise  we  talked  of  yesterday,  and  I 
leave  in  the  steamer  at  noon.  Hoping  that  you  will,  etc.,  I  am, 
dear  sir,  Yours  truly, 

Chas.  Braman." 

I  have  been  trained  in  the  school  of  disappointment,  but, 
coming  upon  this  as  I  did,  at  a  time  of  unusual  depression,  I 
was  but  poorly  able  to  bear  it.  But  I  soon  began  to  think  that 
it  was  all  for  the  best,  that  my  hope  newly  awakened  had  been 
crushed  before  I  had  become  engaged  in  that  unpleasant  busi- 
ness. 

About  the  middle  of  August  I  fell  in  with  a  fine  barque  of 
three  hundred  tons,  three  years  old.  I  found  the  captain  was 
desirous  of  selling  her,  and,  after  bantering  with  him  for  about 
a  week,  I  got  him  to  name  a  price  in  which  I  thought  I  could 
conscientiously  propose  to  my  friend  to  invest  his  money.  On 
mentioning  the  subject  to  him,  he  at  once  acceded  to  the  pur- 
chase, and  I  was  placed  in  command  of  the  "Arco  Iris."  She 
was  not  quite  as  large  a  vessel  as  I  could  have  preferred,  *but 
suited  me  better  than  any  other  I  could  find.  I  found  consider- 
able to  do  to  her  to  put  her  in  a  condition  to  please  my  taste,  for 
I  am  somewhat  fastidious  in  regard  to  such  matters.  I  was 
surprised  to  find  what  an  effect  occupation  with  an  object  in 


LEAVING   CALIFORNIA  135 

view  had  in  dispelling  the  gloomy  despondency  that  had  so  long 
oppressed  me.  I  laid  her  on  the  berth  for  freight  and  passengers 
for  Honolulu. 

The  last  Sabbath  I  spent  in  California  I  attended  the  morning 
service  at  the  chapel  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Williams,  Presbyterian,  a 
gentleman  with  whom  I  had  become  acquainted  soon  after  my 
arrival,  at  the  funeral  of  young  Thurlo.  After  service  I  went 
home  with  him  by  invitation.  The  new  church  that  was  burnt 
in  the  last  great  fire  was  intended  for  him. 

Mr.  Williams  is  the  worthy  man  who  had  so  kindly  volun- 
teered to  visit  the  prison  to  exhort  and  pray  with  the  criminals. 
He  said  that  he  was  in  the  act  of  prayer,  and  was  just  interced- 
ing for  mercy  on  the  guilty  creatures,  with  particular  reference 
to  the  culprits  Stuart  and  his  associates,  when  his  devotions  were 
so  outrageously  interrupted  by  the  delegation  from  the  Vigilance 
Committee.  He  says  no  language  can  describe  the  horrified 
aspect  of  the  wretches  when  they  were  so  ruthlessly  seized  and 
dragged  away  to  be  executed,  and  one  of  the  committee  told  me 
they  were  more  than  half  dead  before  they  were  strung  up.  Mrs. 
Williams  said  that  her  husband  was  brought  home  in  a  frightful 
state  of  nervous  excitement,  from  which  he  had  not  wholly  re- 
covered, and  she  was  obliged  to  do  the  honours  of  the  table. 

I  have  said  that  Mr.  Williams  was  a  worthy  man;  his  views 
in  certain  doctrinal  points  in  religious  matters  and  my  own  are 
at  variance,  but  we  can  eat  at  the  same  table,  and,  if  need  be, 
could  sleep  in  the  same  bed.  He  is  very  unassuming  in  conver- 
sation, stating  his  own  opinions  with  calmness  and  as  calmly 
listening  to  the  arguments  of  his  opponents.  His  sermons  are 
devoid  of  dogmatical  assertion  on  disputed  points,  and  are  based 
upon  the  inculcation  of  the  principles  of  pure  morality.  In 
short,  he  is  no  bigot.    He  came  here  from  Mobile. 

I  obtained  freight  to  the  amount  of  $700,  and  three  passen- 
gers, and  got  ready  for  sea  on  the  10th  of  September.  I  shipped 
one  mate,  four  seamen  and  one  negro  to  act  as  cook  and  steward. 
I  was  obliged  to  pay  the  mate  $50  a  month  for  the  voyage  round, 
the  cook  $50  and  the  seamen  $40  for  the  run  to  Honolulu. 

Got  under  way  at  noon,  and  beat  out  of  the  harbour  under 
double  reefs,  against  the  usual  fiery  nor'wester.     At  sunset  it 


I36  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

fell  calm,  and  a  strong  flood  tide  set  me  back  into  the  bay,  and  I 
anchored  in  Saucelite  Cove.  At  midnight  started  again  with  a 
light  breeze  from  northeast,  and  proceeded  to  sea,  and  as  I  passed 
the  Golden  Gate  I  thought  of  the  strange  career  that  had  attended 
me  since  I  passed  in  here  in  the  Alhambra,  two  years  ago. 
But  adieu, 

Thou  wondrous  city,  offspring  of  a  day; 

The  "ne  plus  ultra"  of  the  works  of  man, 
Young  giant  Empress  of  this  noble  bay; 

Thy  future  greatness  let  him  tell  who  can. 

The  wide  Pacific  waits  at  thy  command 

Her  varied  vast  resources  to  unfold, 
And  pour  them  all  upon  thy  busy  strand, 

Thou  great  exporter  of  unmeasured  gold. 

Columbia  boasts  of  thy  majestic  birth, 

Columbia's  sons  have  made  thee  what  thou  art; 

No  other  race  of  men  in  all  the  earth 
Could  e'er  have  given  thee  such  a  glorious  start. 

That  start  is  but  the  herald  of  thy  youth, 

The  initiating  step  in  thy  career. 
Revolving  suns  shall  witness  still  thy  growth, 

And  earth's  metropolis  be  found  in  future  here. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

The  winds  prevailed  from  the  northeast,  but  very  light,  and 
I  was  twenty  days  running  over  to  the  islands.  My  little  barque 
did  not  sail  so  well  as  I  expected  from  her  reputed  character  and 
her  model.  This  I  attribute  to  her  having  lain  so  long  in  the 
mud  in  San  Francisco.  Her  bottom  is  probably  coated  with 
barnacles  and  oysters,  for  I  have  seen  attached  to  the  copper  on 
ships'  bottoms  lying  there  clusters  of  oysters  that  would  fill  a 
peck  measure. 

Made  the  island  of  Wahoa  at  midnight  on  the  second  of  Octo- 
ber, doubled  the  southeast  point  at  4  a.  mv  and  at  daylight 
received  a  pilot,  Capt.  Knox,  of  Boston,  and  entered  the  harbour, 
which  is  in  the  lee  or  southwest  side  of  the  island.  It  is  formed 
by  the  continuation  of  a  large  ravine  that  comes  down  from  the 
mountains,  and  extends  a  mile  into  the  sea,  bounded  by  a  coral 
reef  on  each  side,  rising  to  from  two  to  four  feet  of  the  surface. 

The  entrance  is  narrow  and,  with  the  usual  trade  wind  blow- 
ing out,  ships  cannot  work  in.  As  a  ship  comes  off  the  harbour, 
intending  to  go  in,  the  pilot  makes  a  signal  and  one  or  two  hun- 
dred of  the  natives  wade  out  on  the  south  reef  with  a  long  tow- 
line,  one  end  of  which  is  placed  in  a  boat  stationed  at  the  end 
of  the  reef.  The  ship  stands  in  under  a  press  of  sail,  hauls  short 
round  the  end  of  the  reef,  every  halyard  is  let  go  at  once  and 
sail  taken  in  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  men  in  the  boat  pass 
their  end  of  the  line  on  board  and  it  is  made  fast  to  the  bits.  The 
pilot  waves  his  hand,  the  Kanakas  strike  up  a  diatessaron  and 
start  off  with  the  towline,  tugging  the  ship  up  to  the  anchorage 
like  a  regiment  of  black  ants  dragging  along  an  elephant. 

The  town  of  Honolulu  is  situated  on  the  south  side  on  a  level 
space  of  two  or  three  miles  extent,  backed  up  by  abrupt  hills.  In 
front  are  the  stores  and  places  of  business  of  the  foreign  popula- 
tion, chiefly  American,  numbering  from  three  thousand  to  four 
thousand.  Their  residences  are  delightfully  situated  in  the  back- 
ground, streets  well  laid  out  and  buildings  substantial  and  com- 

137 


I38  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

modious.  There  is  a  very  good  market  house,  and  it  is  well 
supplied  with  meats,  fish  and  fruit  and  vegetables.  Green  turtle 
are  here  no  rarity.  There  are  several  short  but  convenient 
wharves,  and  it  is  a  good  place  to  heave  out  and  repair  a  ship. 
Lumber  and  spars  are  brought  from  Oregon;  mechanics  abun- 
dant. 

The  natives  live  in  huts  made  of  poles  and  interwoven  with 
cane  and  reed  and  covered  with  coarse  grass ;  they  occupy  a  space 
back  of  the  foreigners.  They  are  of  an  olive  complexion,  hair 
and  eyes  universally  black,  well-formed  and  regular  features. 
Some  of  the  women  would  be  considered  handsome  were  it  not 
for  their  abominable,  dirty  untidiness. 

They  live  principally  upon  "paui"  and  fish.  Paui  is  the  tara 
root,  a  bulbous  vegetable  which  grows  in  pools  of  water  and  is 
something  like  a  turnip  in  appearance.  It  is  mashed  up  and  kept 
till  it  becomes  acid  before  it  is  eaten.  They  do  not  use  knives 
and  forks  or  spoons ;  with  them  fingers  were  made  first,  and  they 
stick  to  nature's  implements.  A  party  squat  upon  their  haunches 
like  frogs  around  a  tub  of  paui,  with  small  fishes;  daub  goes  a 
fellow's  fist  into  the  paui  paste,  and,  whirling  it  round  till  he 
gets  it  into  the  right  shape,  he  opens  his  capacious  maw,  thrusts 
in  his  whole  hand,  licks  off  the  foetid  mass  and  is  ready  for  an- 
other daub.    The  ladies,  more  delicate,  dip  in  only  the  fingers. 

Occasionally  they  seize  a  fish  in  both  hands,  and,  holding  it 
by  the  head  and  tail,  they  eat  it  raw,  making  the  first  grab  at  the 
entrails  as  the  choicest  morsel.  On  Sundays,  which  the  strangers 
have  taught  them  is  a  holiday,  they  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  roast 
pork,  which,  cooked  in  their  fashion,  is  indeed  a  luxury.  They 
scoop  out  a  hollow  in  the  ground  and  pave  it  with  stones,  make 
a  fire  in  it,  and,  when  the  stones  are  sufficiently  heated,  they  clear 
away  the  embers  and  lay  in  a  pig  weighing  from  fifty  to  one 
hundred  pounds;  then  they  cover  it  with  other  stones  previously 
heated,  and  on  the  heap  lay  a  mound  of  heated  earth.  In  this 
way  the  juices  are  prevented  from  escaping,  the  meat  cooks  grad- 
ually and  thoroughly,  and  when  taken  out  is  of  a  fine  brown 
colour  and  is  tender  and  delicious. 

These  people  are  addicted  to  intemperance,  and  when  drunk 
they  are  mad.     The  Government  has  prohibited  any  white  man 


DIVINE  SERVICES  139 

from  furnishing  them  liquors  under  any  pretense  whatever,  un- 
der a  penalty  of  five  hundred  dollars.  But  the  King  himself  is 
above  the  law  and  is  a  beastly  drunkard.  He  is  a  good-looking 
young  man. 

They  are  passionately  fond  of  riding  on  horseback,  and  the 
women  ride  astraddle,  bundled  up  in  about  twenty  yards  of  yel- 
low cotton  cloth,  each  one  looking  like  a  great  pumpkin  with 
a  section  sliced  out  and  the  cavity  fitted  to  the  saddle.  The  native 
canoes  are  dugouts,  so  narrow  that  they  can  only  get  their  legs 
and  feet  in ;  they  are  prevented  from  turning  over  by  outriggers 
from  each  end,  extending  out  eight  or  ten  feet,  with  a  piece  of 
timber  shaped  like  the  canoe  secured  to  the  outer  ends. 

Sunday,  October  28. — I  attended  divine  service  at  the  Bethel. 
The  congregation  was  composed  of  the  elite  or  aristocratic  por- 
tion of  the  residents,  seated  in  their  own  pews ;  very  few  seamen 
were  there.  The  stated  preacher  in  the  forenoon  gave  us  a  very 
sensible  and  well-written  discourse,  and  there  was  nothing  very 
objectionable  in  his  prayer.  In  the  afternoon  he  introduced  to 
his  audience  a  newly  fledged  bird  just  let  loose  from  his  nest  at 
Princeton  or  Andover.  He  went  on  in  a  ranting,  canting  style 
of  dogmatical  assertions,  as  though  he  thought  he  was  talking 
to  those  who  had  no  more  sense  than  himself. 

His  prayer  was  a  lengthened  tissue  of  commonplace,  unmean- 
ing expressions  and  impious  wishes.  At  one  time  he  hesitated 
as  if  at  a  loss  for  a  sentence,  and  then  he  uttered  with  a  long- 
drawn-out  "o — h!"  this  impious  imprecation:  "O — h,  Lord! 
that  we  might  understand  the  length  and  the  breadth  and  the 
height  and  the  depth  of  Thine  inscrutable  decrees!"  There  is  a 
fault  in  our  form  of  worship ;  we  are  supposed  to  join  in  prayer, 
and  our  mouthpiece  utters,  too  often,  wishes  repugnant  to  our 
feelings.  For  this  reason  set  forms  of  prayer  are  more  appro- 
priate; we  then  know  what  we  are  going  to  ask  for.  Our 
Saviour  Himself  condemned  long  prayers  and  gave  us  a  form 
the  most  appropriate  that  a  mortal  can  offer  to  his  Maker,  except 
in  seasons  of  great  distress,  when  we  may  be  excused  for  being 
more  particular. 

There  is  a  large  building  in  an  open  field  in  the  outskirts 
built  by  missionary  funds  for  the  use  of  the  natives  as  a  church. 


I4o  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

I  took  a  stroll  out  there  on  Sunday,  November  4th.  There  was 
no  service  and  the  house  was  closed.  One-half  of  the  glazing 
was  broken  and  some  of  the  window  blinds  were  lying  about  on 
the  ground  and  others  hanging  by  one  hinge.  The  basement 
was  fitted  up  with  benches  and  a  desk  for  a  vestry  or  lecture 
room,  but  the  doors  were  missing,  and  cows,  sheep  and  swine 
seemed  to  have  it  all  to  themselves.  The  whole  appearance  of 
the  building  indicated  that  the  missionaries  were  getting  tired  of 
their  calling,  or  else  that  the  Kanakas  were  getting  tired  of  them. 

I  found  lying  here  the  ship  Adirondack,  Capt.  Gillespie. 
This  is  the  same  ship  and  the  same  captain  that  the  Ocean  Queen 
made  love  to  so  warmly  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  Capt. 
G.  says  that  when  he  saw  the  collision  must  take  place  he  ran 
into  his  cabin  to  place  his  wife  in  safety.  He  expected  we  should 
cut  his  stern  off.  He  said  that  it  cost  $10,000  to  repair  his  dam- 
age.   He  is  after  a  freight  of  oil,  very  much  to  my  disadvantage. 

At  Honolulu  I  became  acquainted  with  Mr.  Anthon,  the 
Danish  Consul.  Dining  with  him  one  day,  the  conversation 
turned  upon  California  and  its  wonders.  I  have  already  told  so 
many  extravagant  stories  that  I  fear  I  shall  be  thought  a  second 
Munchausen,  but  I  must  relate  Mr.  Anthon's  story  to  cap  the 
climax.  He  says  that,  early  in  1849,  ne  bought  an  old  schooner 
and  loaded  her  with  potatoes  and  cleared  $25,000;  but  the  climax 
is  this:  he  bought  at  auction  a  cask  of  saleratus  weighing  250 
pounds  for  $25  and  sent  it  over  to  San  Francisco  in  the  schooner. 
It  came  to  market  at  a  time  when  all  the  flour  on  hand  was 
sour,  and  the  bakers  must  have  a  correction,  and  this  barrel  of 
saleratus  sold  for  $8  a  pound,  so  that  the  cask  that  cost  in  Hono- 
lulu $25  brought  in  San  Francisco,  one  month  afterwards,  the 
snug  little  sum  of  $2,000! 

The  Sandwich  Islands  are  nine  in  number,  forming  a  group 
ranging  northwest  and  southeast  from  Lat.  22 °  30'  N.,  Long. 
1600  15'  W.,  to  Lat.  180  45'  N.,  Long.  1540  50'  W.  They  lie 
about  one-third  the  distance  from  the  coast  of  Mexico  to  China. 
Most  of  the  islands  are  volcanic,  and  some  of  the  peaks  rise  to 
the  altitude  of  fifteen  thousand  feet.  Woakoo  is  one  of  the 
smallest,  but  selected  as  the  seat  of  government  from  possessing 
the  best  harbour  of  any.    The  climate  is  temperate,  the  thermom- 


SANDWICH  ISLANDS  141 

eter  ranging  from  6o°  to  85  °  Fahrenheit.  When  first  discov- 
ered by  Capt.  Cook  in  1778,  he  estimated  the  whole  population 
at  four  hundred  thousand.  But,  like  all  other  countries  newly 
settled  by  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  they  are  fast  dwindling  away 
and  do  not  number  now  one-third  of  that  number.  Sugar  cane, 
coffee  and  tropical  fruits  and  vegetables  flourish,  and  these 
islands  are  to  become  to  the  future  Pacific  States  what  the  An- 
tilles are  to  the  Atlantic. 

Honolulu  is  the  great  resort  of  the  Arctic  whale  ships,  to 
spend  the  winter  and  refit.  I  waited  here  six  weeks  in  hopes 
of  getting  a  freight  of  oil  out  of  some  of  them  for  home,  and  in 
two  instances  thought  I  had  succeeded,  but  I  found  the  New 
Bedford  interest  too  strong  for  me,  the  captains  of  the  oil  and 
whalebone  ships  giving  the  preference  to  a  vessel  belonging  to 
that  place  or  else  to  one  commanded  by  a  man  accustomed  to  the 
business.  So  I  was  obliged  to  give  it  up  and  push  on  across  the 
Pacific. 

In  contrasting  the  pure  Kanaka  blood  with  the  Anglo-Saxon 
one  cannot  but  wonder  at  the  progress  of  the  human  race  from 
barbarism  to  perfection,  and,  reasoning  back  from  analogy,  we 
wonder  if  our  common  progenitors  were  not  baboons. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

On  the  23rd  of  November,  1851,  I  left  Honolulu  for  Singa- 
pore in  search  of  business  for  my  barque.  For  the  first  week 
out  the  trade  wind  was  light  and  I  made  but  little  progress.  It 
afterwards  freshened  up  and  my  little  craft  began  to  show  what 
she  could  do;  she  has  probably  shaken  the  shaggy  coat  from 
her  copper.  In  crossing  the  Pacific  my  route  lay  directly  across 
two  positions  where  islands  are  laid  down  on  the  charts,  but  I 
saw  no  land,  nor  any  of  the  usual  indications  of  its  vicinity; 
probably  some  ancient  navigator  saw  at  a  distance  a  fog  bank, 
such  as  sometimes  would  deceive  the  most  experienced,  and,  be- 
ing ambitious  of  being  the  first  discoverer,  has  made  haste  to 
report,  without  going  near  enough  to  be  certain  that  he  was 
right. 

On  the  13th  of  December  I  passed  within  two  miles  of  Vol- 
cano Island,  the  northernmost  of  the  Ladrone  group.  This  is 
an  abrupt  cone  rising  to  the  height  of  one  thousand  feet,  with  a 
crater  at  the  summit,  from  which  issued  volumes  of  white  smoke. 
On  the  1 8th  I  passed  through  the  passage  and  entered  the  China 
sea.  The  northeast  monsoon  was  blowing  fresh,  and  I  had  a 
fine  run  down  to  Singapore,  where  I  anchored  at  daylight  on 
Sunday,  December  28th,  thirty-five  days  from  Honolulu. 

After  breakfast  I  went  on  shore  and  first  made  my  way  to  a 
large  hotel  that  fronted  the  landing  place.  It  had  a  spacious 
yard  in  front,  and  as  I  entered  the  gate  I  heard  a  shrill  female 
voice  calling  up  aloft,  "Why,  I  declare!  if  there  ain't  Capt. 
George  Coffin !  Who  would  have  thought  it  ?"  I  looked  up  and 
beheld  the  well-known  face  of  Mrs.  Isaac  Bray  looking  out  of  a 
chamber  window.  Capt.  Bray,  in  the  ship  Bengal,  had  stopped 
here  on  his  way  from  San  Francisco  to  Calcutta,  and  had  en- 
gaged to  load  here  for  London.  I  spent  an  hour  with  them  very 
pleasantly. 

Having  despatched  a  note  to  Mr.  James  Adams,  he  came  in 
his  carriage  and  took  me  over  to  his  house,  where  I  found  my 
cousins,   Mrs.   Adams  and  her  brother,   Coolidge   Stone.     The 

142 


SINGAPORE  143 

meeting  was  mutually  agreeable;  to  me  it  was  peculiarly  so,  as 
Mrs.  Adams  was  so  lately  from  home.  They  kindly  invited  me 
to  take  a  room  in  their  house  during  my  stay,  and  I  gladly 
accepted  their  polite  invitation  to  escape  from  my  prison  (for  I 
am  alone  on  board,  my  mate  being  a  rowdy  with  whom  I  cannot 
be  familiar). 

But  I  have  managed  to  keep  off  the  blues  thus  far  by  busying 
myself  in  small  jobs  of  carpenter's  work  and  in  writing  out  this 
my  journal.  I  fear  that  those  for  whom  it  is  written  will  be 
puzzled  to  make  it  out.  The  fact  is,  when  I  get  engaged  in 
writing  my  ideas  come  crowding  on  each  other  so  fast  that  I 
am  bothered  to  put  them  in  black  and  white  fast  enough,  and 
before  I  am  aware  of  it  I  get  running  on  pell  mell  to  the  bottom 
of  the  page,  and  when  I  come  to  look  it  over  I  am  quite  at  a 
loss  to  make  it  out  myself.  I  find  many  omissions,  and  some 
commissions, — l's  made  into  t's,  and  the  dots  over  my  i's  some- 
where within  forty-five  degrees  of  where  they  ought  to  be;  and 
the  writing!  I  fancy  it  looks  somewhat  like  the  French  soldiers 
running  from  the  field  of  Waterloo!  As  for  the  stops!  I  fear  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  adopt  Lord  Timothy  Dexter's  plan  and  devote 
the  last  page  altogether  to  commas,  semicolons,  periods  and  notes 
of  queries  and  admiration  ,;:.?! 

The  reports  of  business  at  Calcutta  are  too  discouraging  to 
warrant  me  in  proceeding  there,  and  I  had  nothing  left  but  to 
look  for  local  business,  to  wear  away  the  time  till  I  could  fall 
in  with  a  freight  for  home,  and  Mr.  Adams  obtained  for  me  a 
freight  of  betel  nut,  cutch  and  pepper  for  Canton.  But  it  is 
hard,  after  getting  so  far  on  my  way  towards  home,  to  be 
obliged  to  retrace  my  way  back  again  thousands  of  miles.  But 
all  for  the  best,  perhaps.  At  least  it  is  the  part  of  true  philoso- 
phy to  think  so. 

The  betel  is  a  climbing  plant,  resembling  the  ivy;  the  leaves 
are  used  all  throughout  India  and  China  by  chewing  it  as  Euro- 
peans do  tobacco;  it  colours  their  lips  a  fiery  red  and  turns  the 
teeth  black,  which  they  consider  an  improvement  upon  Nature's 
handiwork.  Cutch  is  a  resin  resembling  black  pitch,  and  is  used 
for  the  same  purposes. 

The  town  of  Singapore  is  beautifully  situated  in  a  fine  sweep- 
ing curve  on  the  southeast  side  of  an  island  of  the  same  name 


I44  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

lying  in  the  Straits  of  Malacca  between  the  long  and  large 
island  of  Sumatra  and  the  coast  of  Malay.  The  principal  resi- 
dences of  the  Europeans  are  palace-like  edifices  stretching  along 
the  strand  for  about  two  miles,  with  a  broad  avenue  lined  with 
trees  in  front,  and  a  fine  esplanade  between  that  and  the  bay. 

Mr.  Adams  occupies  one  of  the  best  of  these  residences ;  his 
house  is  as  large  as  an  ordinary  church,  with  half  an  acre  of 
garden  in  front  and  twice  as  much  in  the  rear;  the  rooms  are 
large,  airy  and  lofty.  A  fine  circular  balcony  projects  in  front, 
looking  out  upon  the  bay  and  the  Spice  Islands  beyond.  Here 
we  sit  evenings,  each  in  a  Chinese  lolling  chair,  with  our  feet 
cocked  up  on  the  balustrade  Yankee  fashion  and  with  a  No.  i 
Manila  cheroot  we  smoke  "dull  care  away." 

When  it  was  time  to  retire  for  the  night,  a  fine  young  Hindu 
was  summoned  and  appointed  as  my  body  servant.  He  led  the 
way  to  a  spacious  and  lofty  apartment  and  began  at  once  to  act 
the  part  of  "valet  de  chambre,"  and  while  he  was  assisting  me 
in  disrobing  two  other  Hindus  brought  in  a  large  semi-spherical 
bathing  tub.  Then  my  "valet"  assisted  me  in  the  difficult  job  of 
entering  it,  and,  having  rubbed  and  scrubbed  my  person  for  half 
an  hour,  he  assisted  me  into  a  spacious  couch,  where  I  luxuriated 
in  sheets  of  the  purest  linen.    What  a  contrast ! 

The  Governor's  residence  is  situated  on  a  hill  in  the  back- 
grounds overlooking  the  whole ;  the  avenues  leading  up  to  it  are 
lined  with  oranges,  tamarind  and  nutmeg  trees.  Seven-eighths 
of  the  inhabitants  are  Chinese,  who  occupy  a  space  in  the  west 
separated  from  the  Europeans  by  a  small  bayou  or  creek.  A 
large  trade  is  carried  on  with  China.  The  junks  make  but  one 
voyage  a  year ;  they  come  down  in  February  and  lie  here  retail- 
ing their  rich  cargoes  till  the  southwest  monsoon  sets  in  to  give 
them  a  fair  wind  home;  for  they  are  like  land  crabs,  they  can 
only  go  on  a  straight  line. 

This  place  is  well  situated  to  command  an  extensive  trade. 
It  is  absolutely  a  free  port ;  no  duties,  no  restrictions  of  any  kind, 
no  custom  house;  but  there  is  one  drawback  to  it  as  a  desirable 
place  of  residence, — the  jungles  are  infested  with  tigers  and 
venomous  serpents. 

On  the  8th  day  of  January,  without  any  official  permit,  I 
started  on  my  retrograde  voyage.    The  northeast  monsoon,  blow-1 


<J 


o 


u 

—       V 

<  ■% 

«£     c 

en  ;§> 


BIRTHDAY   PASSAGE  145 

ing  directly  down  the  China  Sea,  compelled  me  to  take  the  east- 
ern route,  which  makes  the  distance  nearly  double,  but  nothing 
but  an  opium  clipper  can  beat  up.  I  had  a  fine  run  through  the 
Java  Sea  and  doubled  the  south  end  of  the  island  of  Bouton  on 
the  evening  of  the  21st  of  January.  My  course  then  became 
northeast  up  through  the  Pitts  and  Gillolo  passages  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean. 

At  4  a.  m.  I  found  myself  surrounded  by  islands  and  hove  to 
to  wait  for  daylight,  when  I  found  that  a  current  or  bad  steerage 
had  set  me  out  of  my  course.  The  west  point  of  the  islands  bore 
N.  N.  W.,  the  wind  W.  N.  W.  I  tacked  and  stood  to  the  south- 
west about  seven  miles,  when  I  fell  in  with  an  extensive  reef 
nearly  even  with  the  surface,  with  dry  rocks  visible  in  several 
places  and  the  remains  of  numerous  wrecks  lying  about  on  the 
reef,  which  extended  to  the  southeast  beyond  the  horizon  and 
the  extremity  two  miles  on  my  weather  bow.  This  reef  is  not 
marked  on  the  charts  as  dangerous,  but  must  be  very  much  so,  in 
the  night,  and  I  must  have  passed  quite  near  to  its  west  end. 
Finding  I  could  not  weather  it,  I  tacked  again  and,  seeing  a 
clear  passage  between  the  islands  to  leeward,  and  not  willing  to 
waste  time  in  beating  out,  I  bore  up  and,  taking  the  lookout 
aloft  myself,  I  passed  through  a  strait  two  miles  wide  and  came 
out  into  the  Banda  Sea.  This  passage  had  no  name  on  the 
chart  and,  it  being  my  natal  day,  I  called  it  Birthday  Passage. 
The  winds  now  became  light  and  I  was  a  fortnight  working 
my  way  out  through  the  passages  into  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

On  the  5th  day  of  February  we  lay  entirely  becalmed  till 
towards  night  in  the  Sea  of  Gillolo,  and  a  long  dark  craft  full  of 
men  was  discovered  about  three  miles  distant,  directly  in  our 
track.  I  looked  at  her  with  my  glass  and  could  make  nothing 
more  or  less  of  it  than  a  Malay  "prahu"  full  of  men,  dark  and 
naked  savages.  My  officers  and  crew  became  very  much  alarmed, 
for  it  had  been  reported  at  Singapore  that  a  number  of  vessels 
had  been  cut  off  by  piratical  boats  in  this  passage,  and  I  must 
confess  I  did  not  feel  very  comfortable  myself. 

I  had  taken  the  precaution  to  provide  two  small  carriage  guns 
at  Singapore  and  also  half  a  dozen  muskets,  but  now  they  ap- 
peared to  me  to  be  of  but  little  use,  with  such  a  formidable  an- 
tagonist, with  probably  others  not  far  off.    She  did  not  make  any 


146 


A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 


advance,  but  appeared  to  be  reconnoitering.  However,  the  con- 
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and  afterwards  composed  a  jingling  tune  to  it,  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  my  children,  leaving  it  to  my  daughter  to  arrange  an 
accompaniment  and  premising  that  "prahu"  is  a  Malay  word 
signifying  a  long,  low  open  boat  and  is  pronounced  as  "prow." 


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THE   PIRATE  OF  GILLOLO  147 

2. 

'Twas  at  a  time  when  it  was  said, 

To  strike  poor  sailors'  hearts  with  dread, 

That  pirates  thronged  this  passage 
According  to  the  common  fame, 
In  prahus  the  rascals  always  came, 

Upon  their  deadly  message. 

3- 
As  nearly  all  one  direful  day, 
Without  a  breath  of  wind  we  lay, 

The  lookout  saw  a  prahu,  sir; 
A  long,  low,  dark  and  ugly  sight, 
The  thing  to  fill  us  with  affright, 

Just  off  the  starboard  bow,  sir. 

4- 
I  took  my  glass  and  scanned  her  well ; 
Full  twenty  men  I  plain  could  tell, 

Besides  what  more  were  hid,  sir; 
'Twas  evident  the  time  was  come 
When  we  must  fight  for  life  and  home ; 

I'll  tell  you  what  we  did,  sir. 

5- 
I  ne'er  had  seen,  beneath  the  sun, 
A  hostile  sword  drawn,  or  a  gun, 

Or  pistol  fired  in  anger ; 
I  feared,  but  knew  that  I  ought  not 
To  let  my  people  see  I  thought 

That  there  was  any  danger. 

6. 

'Come,  mount  your  guns,  my  gallant  crew ; 
Those  two  three-pounders,  bright  and  new ; 

Prepare  for  firm  resistance!" 
This  quick  was  done,  the  decks  were  swept, 
While  yet  the  dismal  pirates  kept 

At  a  respectful  distance. 


148  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

7- 
The  sea,  it  was  as  smooth  as  glass ; 
The  hateful  calm  did  still  harass ; 

No  cheering  breeze  would  take  us. 
The  mate,  he  made  the  sad  remark 
That  they  would  wait  till  after  dark 

And  then  they  would  attack  us. 

8. 

"Then,  charge  your  guns  and  let  them  see 
That  armed  and  well  prepared  are  we 

To  meet  them  after  dark,  sir." 
One  gun  was  fired ;  the  trusty  ball 
Sped  fiercely  on  till  it  did  fall 

Short  the  intended  mark,  sir. 

9- 

I  thought,  by  firing  off  a  gun, 
The  ugly  prahu  would  up  and  run ; 

That  we  should  thus  confound  her. 
But  she  moved  not.    "Try  it  again, 
My  brave,  heroic,  valiant  men." 

Bang!  went  the  next  three-pounder. 

io. 

I  looked  again ;  not  a  dog  sprang, 
Of  all  that  dark  and  savage  gang, 
Away  from  his  fixed  station. 
"They're  game,"  quoth  I,  "and  seem  well  drilled," 
At  which  my  mates  and  crew  were  filled 
With  fearful  consternation. 

ii. 

They  were  a  mixed  and  motley  crew — 
Dutch,  Englishmen,  and  John  Crapeau, 

With  only  one  a  Yankee, 
Who  darned  his  eyes  for  being  here ; 
He  guessed  the  prahu  would  soon  come  near. 

"Pray  keep  off,  sirs,  I'll  thank  'ee." 


THE  PIRATE  OF  GILLOLO  149 

12. 

Some  swore  and  cursed  the  lazy  breeze, 
While  two  among  them,  Portuguese, 

Invoked  the  Virgin  Mary. 
The  cook  and  steward,  both  Chinese, 
Cried,  Ching  and  Chang,  and  smote  their  knees ; 

Their  pigtails  stuck  out  scary. 

x3- 
At  length,  to  set  my  heart  at  ease, 
A  gentle,  though  increasing,  breeze 

Came  rippling  o'er  the  water. 
Thought  I,  I'll  settle  with  you  now, 
My  long,  low,  dark  and  ugly  prahu ; 

I'll  see  what  you  are  after. 

14. 

So,  straight  towards  her,  bold  I  steered, 
And  soon  the  frightful  craft  we  neared, 

Each  man  armed  with  a  musket; 
While  Ching  and  Chang,  their  coppers  filled 
With  scalding  water,  stood,  well  drilled, 

Into  the  prahu  to  thrust  it. 

15. 
A  moment  'twas  of  deep  suspense, 
For  there  the  pirates,  dark  and  dense, 

Looked  ugly  as  the  devil. 
It  was  a  time  to  try  men's  souls, 
For  there  was  nothing  'tween  the  poles 

So  fraught  with  coming  evil. 

16. 

"Stand  firm,  my  men ;  let's  show  'em  game ; 
Hold  fast  your  firelocks ;  take  good  aim. 

We'll  teach  the  copper  villains 
How  to  waylay  a  Yankee  craft, 
And  for  the  dollars  they  are  aft 

We'll  give  them  leaden  shillings." 


150  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

17- 
My  thoughts  towards  home  now  fluttered  fast. 
Oh !  wife  and  children,  comes  at  last 

The  end  of  my  existence, 
When  I  must  bid  you  all  adieu, 
False  murdered  by  a  pirate  crew, 

At  such  an  awful  distance. 

18. 

The  dreaded  crisis  came!    When,  lo! 
The  long,  low,  dark  and  ugly  prahu 

Proved  but  a  floating  mast,  sir. 
The  men  were  *gannets,  dirty  things ; 
At  our  approach  they  spread  their  wings 

And  flew  away  quite  fast,  sir. 


*A  gannet  is  a  large  sea  fowl,  and  in  calm  weather  and  a 
smooth  sea  there  is  sometimes  a  "mirage"  or  thin  haze  upon  the 
surface  that  magnifies  and  distorts  objects,  making  them  appear 
very  different  from  what  they  really  are. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Tuesday,  February  9. — Fell  in  with  the  little  island  of  Maricie, 
lying  in  Lat.  40  N.,  Long.  1320  E.  It  is  about  half  a  mile  in 
extent  and  just  elevated  above  the  sea  sufficient  to  support  vege- 
tation, and  clothed  with  an  apparently  impenetrable  thicket  of 
mangrove  trees  down  to  the  water's  edge,  the  branches  extend- 
ing over  the  sea,  and  surrounded  by  reefs. 

It  was  not  to  be  expected  that  this  dot  upon  the  ocean,  two 
hundred  miles  from  any  other  land,  would  have  been  inhabited, 
and  I  was  surprised  to  find,  on  passing  under  its  lee  about  two 
miles,  three  small  log  canoes  waiting  for  me  to  come  along. 
There  were  two  men  in  each  canoe,  belonging  to  the  great  Malay 
race,  chestnut  colour,  well  formed  and  of  medium  height,  hair 
long,  black  and  straight,  features  regular  and  full  of  animation. 
They  were  savages,  in  a  state  of  nature,  entirely  naked. 

Their  object  was  trade,  but  they  wanted  not  gold  or  silver; 
an  iron  hoop  seemed  to  be  the  height  of  their  ambition,  and  an 
old  knife  set  them  into  ecstasies.  All  they  could  say  in  English 
was  "ien  'oop  and  knife."  All  they  had  to  give  in  exchange  was 
a  few  cocoanuts  and  mats  and  scarfs  of  their  own  rude  fabric, 
made  from  a  species  of  grass. 

On  opening  the  northwest  side  of  the  island  I  discovered 
their  huts  scattered  about  in  small  openings  among  the  trees. 
How  strange !  Here,  now,  on  this  little  spot,  where  naught  is  to 
be  seen  but  ocean,  ever-rolling  ocean,  and  the  celestial  vault,  with 
its  luminaries,  constellations  and  clouds,  resides  a  colony  of 
human  beings  entirely  cut  off  from  any  communication  with  the 
world,  except  occasionally  when  some  straggler  like  myself, 
driven  out  of  his  track  by  adverse  winds,  may  pass  their  little 
world;  and  even  then,  most  navigators  would  give  it  too  wide 
a  berth  for  them  to  venture  off  in  their  frail  canoes,  and  yet 
they  appeared  to  be  happy. 

I  gave  them  a  bag  of  bread,  and  the  mate  threw  into  their 
boats  a  lot  of  porpoise  blubber  that  had  been  lying  in  the  sun 

151 


152 


A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 


for  three  days.  They  seized  this  stinking  mess  and  devoured  it 
with  as  much  gusto  as  I  should  eat  the  second  joint  of  a  roast 
turkey,  which,  by  the  way,  I  have  not  tasted  for  three  years.  It 
was  curious  to  watch  their  savage  expression  of  countenance  as 
they  swallowed  the  foetid  corruption;  it  was  like  that  of  two 
mastiffs  devouring  a  marrow  bone.  I  suppose  when  they  get  on 
shore  this  evening  they  will  have  a  grand  feast,  and  the  chance 
of  my  visit  will  be  an  era  in  their  chronicles  long  to  be  remem- 
bered. They  hung  on  to  the  lines,  towing  astern,  till  their  little 
island  was  sinking  below  the  horizon,  and  then  only  left  at  the 
approach  of  night. 

I  have  said  that  they  appeared  to  be  happy.  Their  wants  are 
few.  Knowing  nothing  of  the  luxuries  and  refinements  of  civ- 
ilization, they  also  know  nothing  of  its  cares  and  wants.  Banks 
may  break,  conflagrations  may  sweep  away  whole  blocks,  or 
even  cities;  a  revolution  may  convulse  a  continent;  what  care 
they?  They  have  no  notes  to  pay  and  are  not  anxious  about 
the  arrival  of  the  next  steamer.  And  now,  while  they  have  gone 
back  to  their  cabins,  to  spend  a  night  in  peace,  here  am  great 
Mr.  I  toiling  against  a  head  wind  that  seems  to  be  everlasting. 
Good  night,  simple  islanders.  May  you  never  attract  the  notice 
of  missionaries,  nor  be  blest  with  the  cares  of  civilization ! 

The  winds  continued  unfavorable  for  ten  days  more;  then, 
on  the  20th,  having  fought  my  way  up  to  Lat.  200  and  Long. 
1 350,  I  took  the  northeast  trades,  which  soon  became  fresh  and 
steady,  and  on  the  25th  I  passed  once  more  through  the  Bashee 
Passage.  On  the  27th  fell  in  with  "Pedra  branca,"  a  whitish 
rock,  about  fifty  feet  high,  standing  alone  about  thirty  miles  from 
the  coast  of  China,  an  excellent  landmark  for  vessels  bound  to 
Hong  Kong. 

Here  I  was  surrounded  by  a  fleet  of  hundreds  of  fishing 
junks,  an  uncouth-looking  craft  about  fifty  or  sixty  tons.  They 
have  one  very  large  sail,  made  of  mats  and  shaped  like  a  shod 
shovel,  with  half  a  dozen  spreaders  stretched  across  to  make  it 
set  straight  and  strengthen  it.  The  rudder  is  shaped  something 
like  an  old-fashioned  field  gate,  and  is  kept  in  its  place  by  some 
"hocus  pocus"  contrivance  without  pintles.  They  always  go  in 
pairs,  keeping  about  a  cable's  length  apart  and  dragging  a  seine 


FISHING  JUNKS. 


HONG  KONG  153 

between  them.  The  fish  they  catch  resembles  a  shad  in  appear- 
ance and  flavour  more  nearly  than  any  fish  we  have  in  our  waters. 

I  obtained  a  pilot  from  one  of  them,  and  at  midnight  we 
anchored  in  the  harbour  of  Hong  Kong.  At  early  daylight  I 
was  taken  possession  of  by  a  host  of  Chinese  expectants,  prin- 
cipally women.  On  both  sides,  ahead  and  astern,  were  crowds 
of  boats,  all  after  some  kind  of  employment.  Wherever  an 
American  ship  goes,  she  is  a  godsend  to  all  men,  women  and 
children. 

Of  all  the  places  I  have  ever  visited,  Hong  Kong  is  the  most 
heterogeneous  and  fantastic;  it  beats  Valparaiso  out  and  out. 
The  island  rises  to  the  height  of  half  a  mile,  and  is  so  rough 
and  precipitous  that  a  straight  and  level  street  of  ten  rods  long 
is  out  of  the  question ;  in  fact,  a  location  for  a  house  is  hard  to 
be  found  without  digging  down  one  side  and  levelling  up  the 
other.  In  passing  along  the  crooked  streets  I  found  places  where 
a  balustrade  guards  one  from  falling  down  a  precipice  hundreds 
of  feet,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  street  will  be  a  house  perched 
up  fifty  feet  above  you.  Its  next  neighbor  will  be  on  a  level 
with  the  street,  and  next  door  to  that  you  will  just  see,  peeping 
above  the  street  wall,  the  roof  and  chimneys  of  a  house.  Go 
that  side  and  look  over  and  you  will  find  that  it  is  a  large  house 
down  in  a  hollow,  and  the  only  way  to  get  at  it  is  by  a  tunnel 
under  the  street.  Just  back  of  the  town,  abrupt  barren  rocks 
rise  to  the  altitude  of  half  a  mile,  with  cascades  tumbling  down 
the  gullies,  fed  by  the  condensation  of  clouds  arrested  by  their 
summits. 

Everybody  can  look  down  upon  his  neighbor  except  those 
living  near  the  water,  and  they  can  look  down  upon  hundreds  of 
floating  dwellings,  for  nearly  one-half  the  Chinese  live  in  boats. 
Children  are  born  and  brought  up  and  die  in  a  sampan,  which 
is  a  boat  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  long,  with  a  sliding  roof  of 
bamboo  and  mats ;  they  are  managed  by  the  owner  and  his  wife 
and  children.  The  women  are  by  far  the  most  expert  and  mas- 
culine. 

The  first  time  I  got  into  a  sampan  to  go  on  shore  I  thought 
the  skipper  was  a  queer-looking  specimen  of  humanity.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  blue  cotton  loose  frock,  hanging  down  below  the 


i54  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

waist;  a  pair  of  loose  trousers,  cut  short  just  below  his  knees, and 
legs  and  feet  bare.  He  had  a  weatherbeaten  face,  resembling  a 
brown  pumpkin,  with  two  narrow  black  streaks  where  his  eyes 
ought  to  be.  He  had  a  hump  on  his  back  as  big  as  a  half  bushel, 
but  he  flew  round  as  nimble  as  a  monkey,  hoisted  up  his  sail  with 
the  swing  of  a  man-o'-war's  man,  and  then  he  took  the  large 
sculling  oar  and  sculled  away  like  any  old  salt.  Before  we 
reached  the  shore  a  ventriloquial  squeak  from  the  hump  ex- 
plained the  true  state  of  the  matter.  It  was  the  woman  of  the 
establishment,  and  the  hump  was  her  babe,  tightly  swathed  and 
securely  lashed  to  her  back  underneath  her  loose  frock.  In  this 
way  all  these  boat-women  carry  their  infants, — an  excellent  plan, 
for  the  motion  of  their  bodies  in  rowing  or  sculling  answers  the 
purpose  of  a  cradle. 

Hong  Kong  was  ceded  to  the  English  at  the  close  of  the 
opium  war.  They  have  wisely  made  it  a  free  port,  and  it  is  now 
the  general  resort  for  all  ships  seeking  business  in  China.  Find- 
ing that  none  of  my  cargo  was  to  be  landed  here,  I  procured  a 
river  pilot  and  started  for  Canton.  The  harbourmaster  sent  me 
a  Chinese  pilot  who  was  a  prototype  of  Bonaparte.  He  was 
aware  of  this,  and  had  studied  the  attitudes  of  the  Emperor  Nap- 
oleon. Standing  on  my  quarterdeck,  with  his  hands  folded  be- 
hind his  back,  his  "chapeau  de  bras"  in  silent  dignity,  he  looked 
the  prince  of  pilots. 

We  threaded  our  way  out  through  a  narrow  and  crooked 
channel  surrounded  by  mountainous  islands  for  about  fifteen 
miles,  when  we  opened  out  into  the  estuary  of  the  "Taho"  or 
Canton  River,  and,  having  advanced  about  thirty  miles  in  a 
northwesterly  direction,  we  came  to  the  famous  "Boca  Tigris," 
or  Tiger's  Mouth.  This  is  a  strait  about  a  mile  wide.  Here  are 
eleven  large  fortifications,  so  situated  on  bluff  headlands  as  to 
command  the  passage  without  interfering  with  one  another,  and 
were  they  garrisoned  by  European  or  American  soldiers,  they 
would  make  this  "tiger's  mouth"  a  most  terrific  opening  to  ven- 
ture into;  but  under  Chinese  management  an  American  or  Euro- 
pean fleet  would  silence  them  all  in  what  Jack  calls  a  quarter 
less  no  time. 

As  we  ran  into  this  yawning  mouth  it  came  on  dark  and 


HONG  KONG  155 

rainy.  The  river  from  hence  up  is  full  of  mud  banks,  but  my 
Napoleon  of  a  pilot  dashed  on  up  the  intricate  channel,  without 
heaving  the  lead  till  midnight,  when  the  wind  left  us  and  we 
came  to  anchor.  Started  again  at  daylight,  and  two  hours'  run 
brought  us  to  the  anchorage  at  Whampoa,  the  shipping  port  of 
Canton. 

On  our  way  up  this  morning  we  were  accompanied  by  a  mos- 
quito fleet  of  sampans,  all  eager  to  be  the  first  to  obtain  my 
patronage.  The  first  that  came  alongside  was  "manned"  by  four 
young  girls,  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of  age.  Their  object  was 
to  secure  the  washing  from  the  ship.  They  were  bright  and 
good-looking  sole-leather-coloured  witches,  and  the  way  they 
laid  hold  of  my  Jacks  showed  that  the  old  duds  from  the  fore- 
castle were  theirs  sure,  and  they  were  not  long  in  bringing  the 
mates  round,  too.  What  a  spectacle!  Here  are  now  four  young 
misses,  by  the  accident  of  birth  reduced  to  this  degrading  re- 
source to  obtain  a  livelihood,  while  others  of  their  sex,  better 
born,  are  figuring  in  high  life,  provided  with  all  the  luxuries  of 
aristocracy,  and  one  alone,  also  by  accident  of  birth,  is  Queen 
of  England.  But  which  of  all  is  the  happiest?  For  that  is  the 
grand  question,  after  all. 

My  ship  is  like  a  successful  candidate  after  an  election  to  an 
office  of  patronage;  on  both  sides  and  all  about  are  sampans, 
tailors,  barbers,  shoemakers,  carpenters,  blacksmiths  and  paint- 
ers. They  all  have  recommendations  from  American  shipmates, 
certifying  that  they  are  the  most  honest  among  the  Chinamen, 
when  probably  the  signers  never  employed  any  other.  I  never 
pay  any  regard  to  a  shipmaster's  recommendation,  and,  suppos- 
ing that  others  pay  as  little  to  mine,  I  have  adopted,  as  a  general 
rule,  this  style:  "I  certify  that  I  have  employed,  as  tailor,  the 
bearer,  Chang-Cheng-Ching-Chong-Chung,  and  believing  that  if 
well  looked  after  he  will  not  cheat  any  more  than  his  compet- 
itors, I  recommend  him  accordingly." 

After  breakfast  I  started  in  a  sampan  for  Canton,  a  distance 
of  about  twelve  miles.  The  river  has  several  branches  and  is 
very  crooked,  and  the  scene  is  continually  changing.  The  grounds 
are  all  highly  cultivated,  the  lowlands  in  rice  and  the  elevated 
grounds  formed  into  terraces  and  planted  in  garden  vegetables. 


156  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

Oranges,  bananas  and  other  tropical  fruits  are  growing  profusely 
around. 

The  river  is  full  of  boats,  of  all  shapes  and  sizes  from  the 
unwieldy  junk  down  to  the  humble  cockle- woman  in  her  bread- 
trough.  I  have  no  doubt  I  passed  ten  thousand  craft  between 
Whampoa  and  Canton.  In  every  boat  were  women  and  chil- 
dren. It  is  surprising  to  see  how  dextrously  they  manage  to  keep 
clear  of  one  another.  As  we  came  abreast  of  the  city,  the  banks 
of  the  river  were  completely  hidden  from  view  by  the  absolute 
jam  of  boats,  and  I  did  not  see  how  we  were  to  effect  a  landing. 
But  my  sampan  woman  was  at  home;  she  drove  ahead,  clearing 
one  and  shoving  another,  till  we  came  to  a  narrow  lane  through 
this  city  of  boats,  which  led  to  a  small  dock  appropriated  to 
the  use  of  the  gentry,  but  closed  to  the  common  herd  by  a  boom, 
which  was  drawn  aside,  as  we  approached,  by  a  woman,  and  we 
shot  through  into  a  beautiful  little  basin  with  granite  steps. 

I  jumped  on  shore  and  found  myself  in  a  charming  park, 
where  were  flowers  of  every  hue  and  perfume,  and,  coming  upon 
me  so  suddenly,  the  effect  was  enchanting.  Here  the  English 
and  American  flags  were  flying  from  lofty  masts,  to  indicate  the 
kings  of  the  American  and  English  merchants  who  occupy  a 
range  of  lofty  mansions  in  front.  A  very  neat  English  chapel 
stands  in  the  center  of  this  park. 

I  stood  for  a  few  moments  gazing  about;  a  dozen  Chinese 
sharpers  were  on  the  lookout;  they  knew  that  I  was  a  stranger 
and  boarded  me  on  all  quarters,  each  one  insisting  on  taking  me 
away  to  his  shop,  "nolens  volens,"  and  declaring  that  he  was  the 
only  honest  one  among  them.  I  saw  the  sign  of  the  American 
eagle  in  front,  indicating  the  Consulate,  and  stepped  in  to  en- 
quire the  way  to  my  consignee's,  and  was  kindly  furnished  with 
a  guide. 

Having  entered  my  vessel,  made  arrangements  for  discharg- 
ing my  cargo  and  taken  "tiffin"  (midday  lunch)  with  my  con- 
signee (dinner  hour  being  5  p.  M.),  I  returned  to  my  ship,  leav- 
ing it  for  a  more  convenient  opportunity  to  take  a  look  at  all  a 
barbarian  is  allowed  to  see  of  the  celestial  city. 


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CHAPTER  XXIX. 

It  is  now  about  the  time  of  breaking  up  of  the  northeast 
monsoon,  which  has  been  blowing  for  six  months.  The  weather 
is  cold  and  wet,  and  fires  are  required;  as  for  the  sun,  he  has 
not  been  seen  for  a  week.  Whampoa  is  nothing  more  than  a 
cluster  of  huts  and  hovels  standing  over  the  river  on  piles  or 
stakes  driven  into  the  mud,  extending  in  two  ranges  along  the 
river's  bank  about  two  miles.  The  land  on  both  sides  of  the 
river  is  alluvial,  that  is,  it  is  composed  of  a  deposit  of  mud 
brought  down  from  the  mountains  and  hills  by  the  rains  and 
floods  of  the  centuries  that  have  passed  since  the  last  grand 
convulsion  left  the  earth  in  its  present  form.  It  is  appropriated 
to  the  cultivation  of  rice,  which  is  the  principal  food  of  the 
Chinese.  So  vast  is  the  population  and  so  great  the  demand  for 
rice  that  they  devote  every  foot  of  available  ground  to  its  culti- 
vation, and  encroach  upon  the  river  for  a  residence.  Agriculture 
is  esteemed  the  most  honourable  employment  in  China. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  year,  the  Emperor,  who  is 
styled  "Holy  Son  of  Heaven,  sole  guardian  of  the  earth  and 
brother  of  the  Sun,"  installs  the  season  by  a  state  ceremony  of 
great  importance.  As  the  high  priest  of  the  empire,  he  prostrates 
himself,  touches  the  ground  with  his  head,  invoking  the  blessing 
of  Heaven  upon  the  labours  of  his  people,  then  with  his  own 
hands  he  sacrifices  a  bullock  as  an  offering  to  the  Great  Being. 
Next  throwing  aside  his  imperial  robes,  he  holds  the  state  plow, 
which  looks  more  like  a  snow  drag  than  an  agricultural  imple- 
ment, drawn  by  a  pair  of  celestial  oxen  (kept  for  this  purpose, 
and  profusely  decorated),  and  opens  the  first  furrow  of  the 
year.  Then  the  mandarins  follow  his  example  in  regular  suc- 
cession according  to  rank,  down  to  the  lowest  pig-tail  of  aris- 
tocracy. After  this  ceremony  the  common  herd  may  plow  and 
plant  and  wag  their  pig-tails  to  their  own  tune. 

This  is  a  nation  of  thieves ;  from  the  mandarin  to  the  scaven- 
ger, men,  women  and  children  seem  to  consider  it  creditable  to 

157 


I58  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

steal  everything  that  they  can  lay  their  hands  on,  and  the  stricter 
the  lookout  that  is  kept  for  them  the  greater  is  the  exploit,  if 
they  can  escape  detection.  They  will  even  steal  the  copper  off 
a  ship's  bottom,  and  that  under  water,  too,  and  having  melted  it 
over  they  will  bring  it  on  board  the  same  ship  for  sale  in  the 
shape  of  thowlpins  or  thimbles.  We  are  obliged  to  keep  guard 
boats  ahead  and  astern  during  the  night,  but  I  expect  it  is  like 
setting  a  thief  to  catch  a  thief. 

While  my  mate  and  I  were  at  breakfast  I  heard  a  rattling  of 
some  rattans  that  lay  on  deck ;  the  mate  ran  out  and  found  a  boy 
carrying  a  bundle  of  them  across  two  lighters  that  lay  along- 
side, with  at  least  twenty  men  in  them,  not  one  of  whom  would 
lift  a  finger  to  stop  him.  The  mate  gave  chase,  but  the  young 
urchin  reached  his  sampan  and  was  off.  I  then  sent  him  in 
pursuit  in  the  ship's  hired  sampan,  but  although  there  were  only 
two  little  boys  of  them,  and  the  mate  had  three  Chinese  men  and 
one  woman  in  his  boat,  yet  they  could  not,  or  would  not,  over- 
take the  rogue,  and  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  chase  and 
return,  at  which  all  the  lightermen  and  all  the  boatmen  and 
women  within  sight  set  up  a  great  shout. 

They  are  also  a  savage  and  bloodthirsty  race.  Yesterday  a 
quarrel  took  place  between  the  crews  of  two  large  lighters  while 
lying  alongside  my  barque.  They  resorted  to  cutlasses  and 
boarding  pikes  and  several  severe  stabs  and  cuts  were  given 
and  received.  The  row  continued  about  an  hour,  until  the 
women,  who  had  till  then  been  looking  on  and  encouraging  their 
own  men,  thought  it  time  to  interfere ;  they  rushed  in  among  the 
combatants  and  soon  laid  them  "hors  du  combat."  It  is  dan- 
gerous for  a  foreigner  to  be  out  at  night,  for  both  on  land  and 
water  he  would  be  likely  to  be  waylaid  by  highwaymen  or  pirat- 
ical boats  upon  the  river,  and  the  government  takes  no  steps  to 
suppress  these  marauders. 

March  7th. — I  have  been  up  to  the  city  to-day  and  chartered 
my  barque  to  take  a  load  of  teas  to  Liverpool  at  three  guineas 
per  ton,  which  is  three  shillings  more  than  the  large  clipper  ships 
are  getting.  The  reason  is,  that  my  vessel  being  of  moderate 
size,  the  charterers  have  just  about  as  much  as  will  load  her,  and 
require  dispatch. 


OBSERVATIONS  159 

I  went  up  to  the  top  of  my  consignee's  house,  a  four-story 
building,  standing  near  the  wall  of  the  city,  to  get  a  bird's-eye 
view  of  this  far-famed  place,  and  what  did  I  see?  Nothing  but 
a  conglomerated  jumble  of  red-tiled  roofs  of  low  buildings, 
crowded  into  a  gallimaufry,  with  here  and  there  an  ugly  square 
building  rising  higher  than  the  mass,  and  a  clumsy  pagoda,  situ- 
ated on  a  knoll,  which  I  was  told  was  the  principal  Joss  house 
or  temple. 

I  also  went  on  a  cruise  of  observation  in  the  outside  town, 
which  is  a  large  city  of  itself,  only  separated  by  a  wall  from 
the  city  of  cities.  I  perambulated  the  narrow  and  crooked  lanes 
for  an  hour,  wondering  at  the  inexhaustible  variety  of  rich  goods 
displayed,  and  the  incongruity  of  the  arrangement,  a  "magazin 
du  mode"  with  a  butcher's  stall  in  one  side  and  a  fishwoman's 
stand  on  the  other.  The  lantern  shops  are  the  most  gaudy,  dis- 
playing their  inimitable  wares  beautifully  painted  on  a  fine  trans- 
parent silk.  Some  of  the  lanterns  hanging  about  are  eight  or 
ten  feet  high  and  four  to  six  feet  across,  with  six  faces  covered 
with  this  silk,  painted  in  most  exquisite  style.  When  lighted  up 
at  night  the  display  is  inconceivably  bright  and  beautiful. 

I  understand  that  during  their  New  Year's  festival  they  have 
what  is  called  the  "Feast  of  Lanterns";  on  this  occasion  the 
display  is  almost  incredible.  Fifty  million  of  these  gaudy  toys 
all  glittering  at  once ! 

After  an  hour  spent  in  slowly  wandering  about,  gazing  at 
the  confused  and  heterogeneous  mixture  of  gaudy  glitter  and 
gorgeous  grossness,  pretending  to  be  deaf  and  dumb  in  order 
to  escape  the  annoying  importunity  of  the  shopmen,  I  came 
unexpectedly  to  the  city  wall.  The  gate  was  open,  and  I  had  a 
glimpse  through,  but  I  saw  nothing  more  than  a  continuation 
of  the  same  lane  I  was  in,  about  ten  feet  wide,  paved  with  flat 
stones,  with  a  continued  and  uninterrupted  range  of  one-story 
buildings  and  an  unbroken  line  of  piazzas  to  shield  the  celestial 
pigtails  from  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun.  The  wall  is  com- 
posed of  small  stones,  blue  bricks  and  mud,  about  twenty  feet 
high,  and  forms  the  back  side  of  a  tier  of  shops  ten  or  twelve 
feet  square.     They  are  all  open  in  front,  and  the  shopkeepers 


160  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

were  all  standing  outside  on  the  lookout  for  customers.  If  a 
stranger  comes  along,  they  pounce  upon  him  like  hungry  wolves. 

I  have  so  far  escaped  being  fleeced,  but  I  was  induced  to 
enter  one  of  the  shops  and  will  try  to  describe  my  reception. 
There  were  two  fellows  dressed  thus :  blue  gowns,  yellow  trousers 
made  full  to  just  below  the  knees  and  there  drawn  in  round  a 
pair  of  bright  red  silk  leggings;  fancy  shoes  with  wooden  soles 
and  the  toes  turned  up  like  a  boy's  skate;  a  profusion  of  black 
hair  hanging  down  behind  and  twisted  into  a  cable  long  enough 
to  reach  the  ground.  They  seized  me  by  both  hands  and  led  me 
to  a  seat,  with  a  "Good  morning,  Missur  Captin,"  in  pretty  good 
English.  Then,  "Whar  cum  from;  you  Ingly  (English)  or 
Mullican  (American)  ?  You  no  Frenchman,  me  savvey.  What 
you  buy?  Me  got  number  one  ting.  Me  no  cheatee  you,  me 
speakee  you  proper,  me  tellee  you  truf.  Sposee  you  wantee 
shawl,  silk  dress,  picter,  lacquer  ware,  eberyting  me  got.  You 
sittee  down,  me  makee  you  lookee.  You  rite  name  in  te  book ; 
ah!  me  know  you,  me  see  you  'fore,  you  kersind  to  Missur 
Sweman,  he  very  good  man.  What  you  want  lookee?  You  see 
silk  hancher  ?  'Nother  man  cheatee  you,  me  no  cheatee ;  spose 
me  cheatee  you,  you  no  come  my  shop  again" ; — and  so  they  went 
on,  flapping  their  tongues  as  though  they  were  hung  on  springs 
of  india  rubber,  a  perpetual  motion  machine.  They  watched  me 
with  the  glance  of  a  hawk;  if  my  eye  rested  for  a  moment  on 
any  object,  the  next  moment  it  was  down  and  spread  out  before 
me.  After  amusing  myself  for  half  an  hour  in  examining  their 
variety  of  rich  goods,  I  purchased  three  dozen  of  fans  and  a 
bamboo  lounging  chair,  to  keep  them  in  good  humour,  and  came 
away. 

There  is  a  beautiful  tree  grows  in  China  and  in  all  the  eastern 
tropical  islands ;  its  uses  are  so  various  that  the  bamboo  may  well 
be  called  the  friend  of  the  Chinaman.  "The  shoots  are  boiled, 
pickled  and  comfited ;  the  roots  are  carved  into  cane  and  umbrella 
handles;  the  tapering  stems  are  used  for  all  the  purposes  that 
poles  can  be  applied  to, — in  carrying,  supporting,  propelling 
and  measuring;  for  the  props  of  houses  and  the  ribs  of  sails, 
the  shafts  of  spears,  the  wattles  of  abattoirs,  the  handles  of 
fans  and  lanterns.    The  leaves  are  broad  and  are  sewed  together 


BAMBOO  161 

for  rain  cloaks  and  thatches.  The  epidermis  is  cut  into  strips 
of  various  sizes  and  woven  into  baskets,  plaited  into  awnings 
and  twisted  into  cables.  It  furnishes  the  bed  for  sleeping,  the 
chopsticks  for  eating,  the  pipe  for  smoking,  and  the  broom  for 
sweeping ;  the  chair  to  sit  upon,  the  table  to  eat  on,  and  the  food 
to  eat,  also  the  fuel  to  cook  it  with.  All  are  derived  from  this 
valuable  production  of  the  earth  in  its  different  stages  of  growth. 
The  pedagogue's  ferule  and  the  school  boy's  book,  the  skewer  to 
pin  the  hair  and  the  hat  to  screen  the  head,  the  paper  to  write 
upon,  the  pen  to  write  with  and  the  cup  to  hold  the  ink,  the 
yardstick,  the  liquid  measure,  the  bucket,  the  bird  cage,  the 
crabnet,  fish  pole  and  sampan, — and  so  on  to  the  end  of  a  long 
chapter,  are  all  furnished  by  this  plant,  whose  beauty  when 
growing  is  commensurate  with  its  usefulnesss  when  cut  down." 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

I  have  been  much  amused  by  looking  at  the  immense  number 
of  boats  and  craft  of  all  kinds  as  they  pass  by  my  vessel.  They 
generally  go  in  pairs,  two  of  a  kind  and  exactly  alike.  First 
come  two  fishing  boats,  with  long  bamboo  poles  projecting  over 
the  bows,  from  which  hangs  a  large  dip-net,  which  they  lower 
into  the  river,  and,  after  a  while,  draw  up  to  gather  out  their 
haul.  Then  two  little  bamboo  shells  of  the  more  humble  fisher- 
women,  whose  business  is  to  gather  up  mussels  and  cockles  from 
the  bottom,  which  they  do  by  means  of  a  rake  with  a  small  bag 
attached.  Next  comes  a  pair  of  cargo  boats  roofed  over  with 
bamboos  and  mats,  looking  like  mastodon  turtles.  Then  a  lonely 
lorcha,  a  sort  of  nondescript  and  quite  likely  a  pirate.  Then  a 
mandarin's  bungalow,  with  a  hundred  oars,  on  the  lookout  for 
opium  smugglers ;  though,  if  they  fall  in  with  one,  they  will 
first  show  fight  and  then  allow  her  to  run  away,  well  knowing 
that  they  shall  receive  more  "cumshaw"  or  bonus  from  the 
owners  of  the  opium  for  letting  her  pass  than  they  would  from 
the  government  for  securing  her. 

Now  comes  along  a  great,  uncouth-looking  ark  called  a  junk, 
bound  to  sea.  She  has  two  great  glaring  eyes  painted  on  her 
bows,  "without  which  she  could  not  see  which  way  to  go"; 
an  immense  crooked  piece  of  timber  projects  over  each  bow, 
loaded  with  stones,  which  are  the  anchors.  A  pigtailed  sailor 
stands  mounted  away  up  on  the  lofty  sternpoop,  thundering 
away  for  dear  life  upon  an  infernal  twanging  gong,  as  though 
they  thought  she  was  superior  to  anything  else  floating  on  the 
river.  Sampans  and  sampitans  are  all  the  time  passing  and 
repassing,  and  occasionally  a  London  wherry  from  the  city  is 
whirled  along  by  four  or  six  sculls,  with  a  cockney  stuck  up  in 
the  stern,  in  his  fancy  boat-dress  and  a  jockey  cap,  looking  as 
important  as  though  he  thought  no  one  else  had  any  right  to 
be  in  China  but  himself,  poor  fool.  The  sails  of  these  craft  are 
all  made  of  mats,  and  as  they  are  seen  passing  on  some  of  the 

162 


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CHINESE   WOMEN  163 

numerous  windings  of  the  river  over  the  marshes,  they  look  like 
great  haystacks  moving  along  without  any  visible  means  of 
propulsion. 

I  have  before  estimated  the  number  of  craft  that  I  passed 
on  my  first  trip  to  Canton  at  ten  thousand.  I  have  since  seen 
the  report  of  the  mandarin,  whose  business  it  is  to  collect  taxes, 
in  which  he  fixes  the  number  of  sampans  alone  at  seventy  thou- 
sand. Now,  allowing  each  sampan  a  family  of  five,  we  have 
three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  to  which  add  the  number 
living  in  cargo  boats  and  other  river  craft,  at  least  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand,  and  we  have  a  grand  total  of  half  a  million 
people  living  altogether  on  the  water,  and  scarcely  ever  putting 
foot  upon  the  land. 

The  Chinese  have  no  national  coins  of  gold  or  silver;  the 
only  native  piece  of  money  is  a  small  piece  of  adulterated  copper 
of  no  greater  value  than  about  the  twelfth  part  of  a  cent.  These 
pieces  have  a  space  cut  out  in  the  center  and  are  strung  up  in 
bunches  of  twenty-five,  fifty  and  one  hundred.  The  nominal 
currency  is  tael,  mace  and  cash,  decimally,  so  that  it  was  orig- 
inally intended  that  one  thousand  cash  (the  copper  coin  above 
mentioned)  should  be  equal  to  one  tael  in  weight  of  sycee  or 
pure  silver,  but  these  miserable  pieces  of  money  have  become 
so  adulterated  that  it  now  takes  sixteen  or  seventeen  hundred. 
The  circulating  medium  at  Canton  is  broken  Spanish  dollars, 
one  dollar  being  equal  to  seven-one-hundredths  of  a  tael,  or, 
more  nearly,  seven  hundred  and  twenty  taels  equal  one  thousand 
dollars,  and  one  tael  is  about  six  shilling  eight  pence  British 
sterling.     Gold  is  unknown  except  as  an  article  of  merchandise. 

In  China  all  foreigners  are  considered  to  be  barbarians,  and 
are  not  allowed  to  enter  within  the  walls  of  Canton.  This  is 
not  only  contrary  to  law,  but  it  also  accords  with  the  common 
prejudice;  they  will  come  outside  the  walls  and  hold  intercourse 
with  the  "barbarians,"  but  if  a  foreigner  should  venture  within 
the  city  proper,  he  would  be  likely  to  be  insulted  and  maltreated 
by  the  first  party  he  would  meet. 

The  women  of  the  higher  classes,  the  small-footed  ladies, 
are  not  visible  to  foreigners,  except  when,  on  some  extraordinary 
occasion,  a  family  may  come  outside  the  walls  and,  by  favour, 


j64  a  pioneer  voyage 

a  foreigner  may  be  accorded  an  introduction.  The  women  that 
may  be  seen  in  boats  are  the  wives  and  daughters  of  the  boat- 
men, mechanics  and  labourers.  They  go  barefooted  and  their 
"peds"  are  big  enough,  in  all  conscience. 

Theirs  is  the  bloomer  costume  in  its  primitive  style,  loose 
trousers  reaching  just  below  the  knees  and  a  frock  made  like 
a  man's  shirt,  generally  of  blue  nankin.  Their  hair,  always 
as  black  as  jet  and  as  glossy  as  silk,  is  curiously  twisted  up  and 
fastened  on  the  top  of  the  head,  so  as  to  resemble  the  crest  of  a 
Grecian  helmet,  or,  more  nearly,  the  handle  of  a  knife  tray.  The 
men  braid  theirs  and  let  it  hang  down  behind,  and  if  it  is  not 
long  enough  to  draggle  on  the  ground  they  tail  it  out  with  black 
silk. 

Business  is  managed  here  with  very  little  trouble  to  the  mer- 
chant or  shipmaster.  If  a  merchant  wishes  to  purchase  and  ship 
a  cargo  of  teas,  he  sends  for  a  broker,  who  knows  every  chest 
of  tea  there  is  in  the  Hong,  and  brings  him  samples.  The  Hong 
price  is  a  fixture,  and  all  the  merchant  has  to  do  is  to  make  his 
selection  from  the  samples  and  give  his  order  to  the  broker, 
with  directions  to  put  it  on  board  a  certain  ship.  Two  days 
afterwards  the  teas  are  certain  to  be  alongside  the  ship,  and  all 
the  master  or  mate  has  to  do  is  to  see  that  they  receive  the  right 
number  of  chests,  and  to  look  out  that  none  is  stolen  while  pass- 
ing from  the  lighter  down  the  hatchway;  for  even  this  is  some- 
times done  by  these  keen  villains.  An  air  port  in  the  ship's  side 
between  decks  is  a  very  convenient  theft  hole  for  them. 

The  shipmaster  is  also  relieved  from  many  an  irksome  mat- 
ter by  the  Comprador,  whose  business  is  to  provide  everything 
that  the  ship  requires.  A  large,  pot-bellied  Chinaman,  who 
passes  by  the  soubriquet  of  "Boston  Jack,"  acts  as  American 
Comprador.  He  sends  his  runners  on  board  the  ships  every 
morning  to  see  what  is  wanted  for  the  day,  and  it  is  at  once 
sent  on  board.  He  charges  nothing  for  his  services,  but  has 
got  rich  from  his  intercourse  with  Americans.  He  receives  from 
the  seller  a  "cumshaw"  on  everything.  Butchers,  bakers,  car- 
penters, riggers,  etc.,  all  pay  tribute  to  him,  and  this  system  has 
become  so  rooted  that  it  cannot  be  broken  up.  No  one  will  deal 
directly  with  the  captain  of  a  ship.    It  is  about  thirty-five  years 


OFF  FOR  AMOY  165 

since  Americans  began  to  trade  at  Canton,  and  now  they  stand 
first  among  all  foreign  traders. 

May  25. — I  have  been  disappointed  and  deceived  in  regard 
to  the  charter  which  I  had  negotiated.  It  was  a  condition  that 
the  barque  should  be  approved  by  the  underwriters.  Their  sur- 
veyor examined  her  and  recommended  sundry  matters  to  be 
done,  when  he  said  she  would  answer.  I  went  to  work  to  do 
what  he  required,  and,  having  got  all  done,  at  a  cost  of  $500,  I 
went  up  to  the  city  to  report  myself  ready  for  cargo,  and  had 
the  mortification  to  learn  that  underwriters  had  decided  not  to 
take  any  risk  on  my  vessel.  I  thought  I  saw  straight  through 
this  affair  at  once.  Another  vessel  about  the  same  size  had 
come  in  while  I  was  busy  with  my  repairs  and  had  offered  to 
take  the  cargo  three  shillings  cheaper  than  I  was  to  have.  I 
could  not  help  myself,  but  I  could  not  refrain  from  telling  my 
gentlemanly  charterers  that  it  was  my  opinion,  if  freights  had 
advanced,  the  Arco  Iris  would  have  been  considered  a  good  risk. 

I  was  now  "thrown  on  my  oars,"  as  sailors  say ;  it  would  be 
of  no  use  to  look  for  another  European  freight,  and  there  was 
nothing  going  to  the  United  States.  My  only  resource  was  to 
try  for  local  business  again,  and  in  a  day  or  two  I  obtained 
a  load  of  cotton  for  Amoy  at  $2  a  bale.  Amoy  is  a  port  on  the 
east  coast  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Canton. 

As  violent  and  dishonest  as  are  these  Chinese,  they  have  yet 
some  redeeming  qualities.  They  are  never  above  their  business, 
very  industrious,  always  cheerful  and  even  gay,  which,  doubtless, 
is  owing  to  the  fewness  of  their  wants,  and,  consequently,  free- 
dom from  care.  They  are  very  polite,  never  meeting  or  leaving 
a  stranger  without  a  salaam. 

They  have  many  simple  and  ingenious  contrivances  for  sav- 
ing labour.  They  scull  their  boats  and  even  large  vessels  by  one, 
two  and  sometimes  five  or  six  large  oars,  or  sweeps.  This  with 
us  is  laborious,  but  they  have  a  tripline  from  the  handle  of  the 
sweep  which  is  made  fast  to  an  eyebolt  in  the  after-thwart.  This 
serves  to  regulate  the  motions  of  the  oar  and  counterbalance 
the  weight  astern,  and  all  they  have  to  do  is  to  walk  across  the 
thwart  holding  the  handle;  the  line  gives  the  blade  of  the  oar 
a  proper  inclination  and  depresses  the  inner  end  and  raises  the 


^6  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

blade  as  it  is  carried  past  the  center  to  either  side.  It  is  a 
simple  contrivance,  but  I  have  seen  a  woman  and  even  a  child 
propel  a  sampan  faster  than  two  sailors  could  row  a  ship's  yawl. 

The  carpenter's  tools  at  first  sight  seem  rude  and  clumsy  to 
a  Yankee,  but  to  see  them  handle  them  one  must  confess  that 
they  do  not  work  so  hard  and  can  accomplish  more  than  our 
carpenters.  Take  even  their  gimlets,  for  instance;  instead  of 
twisting  their  fingers  almost  out  of  joint,  as  I  have  sometimes 
done  in  making  a  small  nail  hole,  they  use  a  spindle  drill,  which 
they  whirl  rapidly  round,  by  means  of  a  staff  and  line,  like  a 
fiddle  bow,  and  will  make  ten  holes  to  my  one  and  never  split 
the  timbers.  They  paint  better  than  we  do;  the  paint  is  mixed 
thick  and  one  man  passes  along  daubing  on  a  coat  of  paint  with 
a  wad  of  tow,  while  another  follows  with  a  very  fine  and  stiff 
brush,  smoothing  it  over,  leaving  a  fine  polished  surface. 

But  they  are  destitute  of  the  phrenological  bump  of  origin- 
ality, but  do  everything  from  copy,  and  copy  exactly.  A  tailor 
cannot  take  a  man's  measure  and  make  a  garment  by  it,  but  must 
have  a  coat  or  pantaloons  to  go  by.  A  story  is  told  of  a  mid- 
shipman who  ordered  half  a  dozen  pairs  of  pantaloons,  and  gave 
the  tailor  an  old  pair  as  a  guide.  Now,  Mr.  Middy  was  just  off 
from  a  long  cruise  and  had  been  "hard  up"  for  breeches,  and 
had  patched  the  pattern  pair  with  a  black  knee  piece  on  blue 
cloth.  When  Snip  brought  the  new  ones,  they  were  a  "facsimile" 
cf  the  old,  every  pair  being  ornamented  with  black  knees. 

I  myself  gave  my  tailor  a  pair  to  make  another  by.  Now  it 
happens  that  my  props  are  uneven,  either  my  right  leg  is  longer 
than  my  left,  or  else  my  left  is  shorter  than  my  right,  and  I  am 
obliged  to  have  an  inch  difference  in  the  legs  of  my  unmention- 
ables. I  forgot  to  tell  my  tailor  of  this,  but  when  he  brought  the 
new  ones,  they  were  all  right;  he  had  discovered  the  difference, 
and  without  knowing  whether  it  happened  by  design  or  accident, 
he  followed  the  copy.  There  was  not  the  difference  of  a  line  in 
the  position  of  the  buttons,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  each  pair 
contains  the  same  number  of  stitches. 

Their  patience  is  wonderful;  their  fancy  carved  work  is 
wrought  in  the  most  minute  and  elaborate  manner.  To  the 
naked  eye,  they  appear  to  be  a  confused  mass  of  the  most  deli- 
cate workmanship,  but  examine  them  through  a  microscope,  and 


FOREIGN  RELATIONS  167 

you  will  find  that  the  human  figures,  with  a  head  no  larger 
than  a  pin's  head,  have  eyes,  nose,  mouth  and  chin,  all  in  their 
proper  places,  with  an  expression  suited  to  the  design. 

They  do  not  use  knives  and  forks.  Their  food  is  principally 
rice  and  "chowchow"  or  hash,  and  they  use  two  small  sticks  like 
lead  pencils.  These  are  held  between  the  fingers,  so  as  to  bring 
the  two  ends  together  or  separate  to  suit  the  article  they  are  eat- 
ing; and  although  a  fast-eating  Yankee  would  starve  if  compelled 
to  eat  with  chopsticks,  yet  I  do  not  see  but  the  Chinese  are  as 
fat  and  as  hearty  as  any  people. 

On  the  whole,  I  consider  the  Chinese  as  an  anomalous  race, 
lazily  active,  ignorantlv  shrewd,  and  honestly  defrauding.  But 
in  their  own  opinion,  they  are  the  Celestial  race,  and  their  Em- 
peror is  brother  to  the  Sun,  and  all  other  people  are  of  an  in- 
ferior order.  Notwithstanding  the  unjust  cause  of  the  late  war, 
I  think  it  would  have  been  well  if,  when  the  English  had  them 
completely  in  their  power,  they  had  insisted  on  a  free  inter- 
course with  all  nations,  for  the  world  is  the  common  property 
of  all  its  inhabitants,  and  no  nation  has  a  right  to  shut  itself 
up  and  say  to  other  nations,  "We  will  exclude  you  from  all  par- 
ticipation in  the  advantages  which  it  pleased  the  Creator  to  be- 
stow on  us  alone."  I  consider  that  every  human  being,  wherever 
born,  has  an  undoubted  natural  right  to  migrate  to  any  other 
part  of  God's  earth,  and  so  long  as  he  conforms  to  the  laws 
of  the  land  of  his  adoption,  he  should  be  protected  in  his  person 
and  property.  When  I  hear  one  of  my  own  countrymen  cry  out 
against  foreign  immigration,  and  curse  the  Irishmen,  who  have 
been  driven  by  poverty  and  famine  to  seek  a  home  with  us,  I 
am  tempted  to  say  to  him,  "Stop,  brother,  the  Irishmen,  too, 
are  our  brothers."  If  nations  can  exclude  others,  states,  towns 
and  counties  can  do  so,  too,  and  the  world  would  become  a  het- 
erogeneous gallimaufry  of  selfish  and  unchristian  communities. 

I  left  Whampoa  on  the  6th  of  April,  passed  through  the  road- 
stead of  Hong  Kong  the  next  morning,  and  proceeded  to  sea, 
just  in  time  to  encounter  a  gale  from  the  eastward.  After  con- 
tending against  it  for  three  days  and  losing  ground,  I  bore  up 
and  running  in  among  numerous  islands,  I  came  to  anchor  un- 
der the  southwest  side  of  Hong  Kong.  Started  again  on  the 
1 2th,  and  was  ten  days  beating  up  to  Amoy. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Amoy,  April  23. — I  have  now  found  my  way  into  another  of 
the  seaports  of  China.  I  have  coasted  along  the  south  east  quar- 
ter of  the  misnamed  "Celestial  Empire"  (certainly  never  was  a 
name  so  misapplied).  The  coast  is  as  barren  and  uninviting  as 
any  part  of  Maine  or  Nova  Scotia.  Sandy  desert  and  rocky 
promontories  intermingled  without  any  appearance  of  cultiva- 
tion. The  overgrown  population  have  seized  upon  every  spot  at 
all  suited  for  a  townsite,  and  between  Hong  Kong  and  Amoy 
are  fifteen  large  cities,  built  on  the  banks  of  rivulets  that  will 
admit  only  fishing  junks,  which  are  innumerable  all  along  the 
coast.  Fishing  and  salt  making  appear  to  be  the  only  sources 
of  livelihood  for  the  millions  who  dwell  along  shore.  About 
midway  there  is  an  island  situated  near  the  coast,  forming  a 
good  harbor.  The  opium  smugglers  have  seized  upon  this  place 
as  a  "depot"  for  their  drug,  which  is  a  contraband.  Here  they 
keep  receiving  ships,  with  a  supply  always  on  hand  ready  to 
be  run  into  any  place,  where  it  may  be  wanted,  and  although  it 
is  a  strictly  forbidden  trade,  still  they  lie  here  in  defiance  of  the 
government,  which  takes  no  measures  to  stop  it. 

Amoy  is  a  constipated  homogeneity.  There  are  about  a  dozen 
brick  and  plastered  buildings  of  some  pretension  standing  front- 
ing the  water  with  small  jetties  in  front.  These  are  the  dwell- 
ings and  "Godowns"  of  the  foreign  merchants,  chiefly  English, 
and  between,  behind  and  all  around  are  the  Chinese  huts  and 
hovels  crowded  into  all  shapes,  from  a  triangle  to  a  duodecagon, 
with  zigzag  lanes  and  alleys  from  six  to  ten  feet  wide  intersect- 
ing them  in  all  directions,  making  the  town  a  labyrinth  or  spid- 
er's web.  The  lanes  and  alleys  are  neglected  and  filthy,  and 
the  shops  or  shanties,  many  of  them,  such  as  a  New  England 
farmer  would  scorn  to  put  his  swine  into.  And  yet  they  display 
an  endless  variety  of  rich  goods. 

April  26. — I  started  out  for  a  ramble  through  this  network 
of  nastiness  and  glitter.    The  back  part  of  my  merchant's  prem- 
ies 


AMOY  169 

ises  opens  into  one  of  the  worst  of  these  lanes,  and  I  hesitated 
some  time  before  I  ventured  to  make  a  plunge.  I  turned  the 
first  corner  to  the  left,  and  came  butt  against  a  coolie  carrying 
two  bags  of  rice  slung  to  the  ends  of  a  bamboo  pole  across  his 
back  (in  this  manner  all  the  portering  is  done,  they  have  no 
carts  or  drays).  He  took  up  the  whole  width  of  the  alley,  and 
I  was  obliged  to  squeeze  myself  into  a  flapjack  to  let  him  pass. 
The  lane  soon  took  a  short  turn  to  the  right  and  six  rods  further 
on  was  cut  short  off  by  a  cross  lane.  I  turned  to  the  left  and 
then  again  to  the  right,  and  directly  after  the  passage  ran  up  a 
flight  of  twenty  stone  steps.  Up  these  I  mounted  and  started 
on  at  random.  I  cannot  keep  the  run  of  my  tacks  any  longer. 
I  found  I  was  ascending  some  elevation,  but  nothing  could  be 
seen  but  the  continued  jam  of  all  sorts  of  tradesmen's  shops. 

At  length  the  lane  opened  suddenly  into  a  large  open  space 
on  the  side  of  a  steep  hill ;  the  space  was  encumbered  with  great 
rock  cut  and  distorted  into  all  conceivable  shapes.  This  was  an 
old  graveyard,  and  every  interval  between  the  rocks  was  strewn 
with  the  sculls  and  bones  of  the  long-since  dead,  which  had  been 
exhumed  to  give  place  to  others.  I  passed  on  through  this  city 
of  unnumbered  dead,  reflecting  upon  the  inconceivable  multi- 
tude of  human  beings  who  have  lived  and  died  since  the  time 
of  our  common  progenitor,  and  wondering  where  they  would 
have  found  standing  room  on  the  earth  if  he  had  not  eaten  of 
that  forbidden  fruit,  and  by  that  act,  brought  on  his  race  "death 
and  all  our  woes." 

I  ascended  the  hill  for  a  view  of  the  surrounding  country; 
the  top  of  the  mount  was  a  huge  pile  of  granite  which  had  for- 
merly been  one  solid  mass,  but  now  rent  into  several  pieces, 
some  of  which  as  they  fell  off  from  the  mass,  remained  in  an  in- 
clined position,  leaving  a  shelter  under  the  lower  side.  The 
Chinese  have  improved  these  spots  for  residences,  digging  away 
under  the  rocks,  they  have  formed  small  caverns,  and  there  they 
live  in  hordes,  reminding  me  of  a  tribe  of  gypsies  dwelling  in 
the  "Devil's  Den"  in  Old  Town. 

The  view  from  hence  was  rugged,  grand  and  romantic;  to 
the  southeast  at  the  distance  of  ten  miles  was  the  sea,  dotted 
with  junk  and  lorchas.     In  every  other  direction,  it  appeared 


l7o  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

as  though  the  whole  country  had  once  been  a  vast  bed  of  granite, 
but  by  some  tremendous  convulsion,  was  riven  into  all  sorts  of 
forms,  thus  letting  arms  of  the  sea  into  the  interior  in  every  di- 
rection. To  the  northwest  a  broad  but  crooked  estuary  leads 
up  about  twenty-five  miles  to  Chintan,  a  large  inland  city  said 
to  contain  a  million  inhabitants,  and  to  which  Amoy  serves  as 
a  seaport.  To  the  northeast  and  north  the  waters  which  make 
Amoy  an  island,  and  beyond  mountains  upon  mountains  rise  like 
a  vast  terrace  surmounted  by  a  dim  vision  of  the  heights  of  Koeit 
Cheou.  I  said  the  view  was  grand;  some  one  has  said  that 
"there  is  but  a  step  from  the  sublime  to  the  ridiculous,"  and 
having  satiated  my  curiosity  with  the  distant  vision,  I  cast  my 
eyes  down  upon  the  pig  sties  of  Amoy  and  felt  the  full  force  of 
the  adage. 

Returning,  I  lost  my  way,  and  wandered  about  for  more  than 
an  hour,  several  times  passing  the  same  spot  and  taking  a  new 
departure;  but  all  my  nautical  skill  was  at  fault  here.  As  I  was 
wandering  along,  conning  my  way  to  keep  clear  of  innumerable 
obstacles,  I  would  occasionally  hear  a  grunt  behind,  and  turn 
to  look,  but  before  I  could  guard  myself,  I  would  be  bumped 
by  a  bag  of  rice  or  a  bale  of  cotton,  and  sometimes  by  something 
more  offensive.  At  one  place  I  found  the  passage  completely 
blocked  up  by  a  crowd  with  a  tribe  of  strolling  players  or 
mountebanks.  These  fellows  place  their  temporary  stage  in  the 
lane,  and  commence  playing  their  antics ;  they  are  masked  and 
dressed  in  a  fantastic  style  like  the  clown  in  a  circus.  They  stand 
still  as  statues  and  look  as  grave  as  though  they  were  solemniz- 
ing a  funeral.  The  gist  of  their  performance  seems  to  consist 
in  occasionally  removing  the  mask  and  screwing  their  features 
into  a  most  unnatural  shape,  and  occasionally  screaming  and 
screeching  in  a  forced  tone,  like  a  flock  of  wild  geese.  Their 
orchestra  consisted  of  several  wind  instruments  squeaking  out  in 
feeble  imitation  of  the  Scotch  bagpipe,  accompanied  by  two  or 
three  gongs,  sounding  like  the  caterwauling  of  fifty  of  the  feline 
race,  with  the  jingling  of  a  brass  kettle  and  a  frying  pan. 

I  also  fell  in  with  a  nondescript  individual  who  composed  a 
complete  band  in  his  own  person;  he  had  somehow  acquired  a 
smattering  of  European  taste.    He  had  on  the  top  of  his  head  a 


AMOY  171 

branch  of  some  kind  of  shrub,  with  a  number  of  small  bells 
of  different  tones;  a  shepherd's  range  of  pipes  was  fastened  on 
his  chin,  and  a  small  flageolet  was  fixed  in  each  nostril;  a  bass 
drum  was  lashed  to  his  back  and  the  sticks  fixed  on  to  his  el- 
bows ;  a  hurdy-gurdy  was  slung  in  front ;  a  pair  of  cymbals  was 
attached  to  his  knees,  and  other  strings  of  bells  encircled  his  an- 
kles. He  marched  along  the  narrow  lanes,  with  an  air  of  pom- 
posity which  made  the  Celestial  pigtails  stand  back  to  let  him 
pass.  He  shook  his  head  and  the  bells  chimed,  he  slewed  his 
mouth  and  the  pipes  whistled,  he  blew  his  nose  and  set  the  flag- 
eolets squealing,  he  brought  his  elbows  back  and  whang  went 
the  bass  drum,  brought  his  knees  together  and  clang  went  the 
cymbals,  and  as  he  stepped,  he  brought  his  feet  down  with  a 
jerk  and  tinkled  the  ankle  bells,  while  all  the  time  he  turned  the 
crank  of  the  hurdy-gurdy  with  one  hand  and  managed  the  stops 
with  the  other.  Altogether  he  managed  to  raise  a  discord  al- 
most equal  to  a  modern  church  choir  with  their  chromatics, 
diatonics  and  inharmonics. 

In  another  place  was  a  "Chin  Chin  to  Joss."  Now,  it  may  be 
asked,  what  is  a  "Chin  Chin  to  Joss?"  It  is  this — Joss  is  the  Chi- 
nese term  for  the  Deity,  and  chin  chin  means  a  salute  or  rev- 
erential ceremony,  and  the  term  may  be  translated  the  "worship 
of  God."  Priests  are  employed  to  visit  the  houses  and  perform 
their  chin  chin,  which  they  do  in  the  street  like  the  strolling  play- 
ers, on  a  temporary  stage,  with  a  profusion  of  candles  and  sacred 
symbols. 

At  last,  after  an  hour's  rambling,  I  got  a  glimpse  of  the 
lookout  on  one  of  the  merchant's  houses  in  front  and  half  a 
dozen  more  tacks  to  port  and  starboard  brought  me  out  to  the 
water's  edge,  three  jetties  from  my  consignee's  quarters.  There 
was  not  passage  in  front,  and  I  was  obliged  to  go  back  again 
into  the  network  of  alleys,  and  when  I  next  came  out  in  front 
I  was  as  far  the  other  side  of  my  friends,  and  I  took  a  sampan 
and  finished  my  jaunt  by  water.  I  found  my  friends  quite  anx- 
ious at  my  long  absence,  and  Mr.  Tait  said  I  had  been  very  im- 
prudent to  venture  about  alone  as  I  had  done.  But  I  have  always 
an  unconquerable  desire  to  see  all  I  can  wherever  I  go,  and 
climb  the  loftiest  eminences. 


i72  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

With  this  view  I  once  ascended  the  spire  of  the  Cathedral  at 
Riga,  which  rises  to  the  height  of  four  hundred  and  thirty-five 
feet;  the  last  fifty  feet  I  ascended  by  means  of  a  rope  Jacob's 
ladder,  until  my  shoulders  brought  up  in  the  apex.  Here  was 
a  small  window  for  a  lookout,  and  you  may  imagine,  but  I  can- 
not describe  my  sensations.  Above  me  was  a  globe  of  copper 
gilt  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  and  this  was  surmounted  by 
a  large  cross.  While  gazing  upward  at  these,  the  clapper  of  the 
huge  bell  in  the  tower  beneath  struck  out  the  hour  of  ten,  and 
at  every  blow  the  ball  and  cross  seemed  to  vibrate  as  though 
the  next  whang  would  destroy  the  perpendicular,  and  send  us 
tumbling  headlong  to  the  pavement.  I  have  also  been  to  the 
top  of  the  leaning  tower  at  Pisa,  another  nerve-shaking  position, 
and  I  have  stood  upon  the  topmost  pinnacle  of  the  Rock  of  Gi- 
braltar. 

I  found,  as  I  was  strolling  through  the  lanes  of  Amoy,  that 
I  was  a  lion  or  an  elephant.  In  front  of  every  shop  there  was 
always  one  and  sometimes  several  persons  listlessly  lounging. 
Seeing  me  coming,  they  would  dodge  in,  and  immediately  a 
whole  tribe,  old,  young  and  middle-aged,  would  come  tumbling 
out  to  have  a  look,  and  by  the  time  I  got  to  the  end  of  my  jaunt 
there  was  a  crowd  of  fifty  of  the  squalid  wretches  following  me 
like  Yankee  boys  at  a  military  parade. 

The  Chinese  seem  to  delight  in  the  unnatural.  The  style  of 
their  houses  and  their  ships  shows  their  incomprehension  or  dis- 
regard of  symmetry  and  convenience.  Even  the  granite  rocks 
could  not  be  left  as  nature  left  them,  but  in  many  places  seem 
to  have  been  distorted  by  human  hands.  The  outer  shore  of  this 
harbor  on  the  north  side  is  comprised  of  sand ;  and  lying  on  the 
surface  is  a  nfass  of  granite  weighing  a  thousand  tons,  half  a 
mile  from  any  other  mass.  They  write  unnaturally;  either  ver- 
tically from  the  top  of  the  sheet  to  the  bottom,  or  if  they  do 
sometimes  write  horizontally,  they  begin  at  the  right  of  the  line 
and  scribble  towards  the  left. 

The  national  character  of  the  Chinese  results  from  their  fixed 
adherence  to  ancient  customs,  and  they  worship  and  venerate 
the  aged,  and  perform  religious  ceremonies  around  the  tombs 
of  their  ancestors,  and  the  son  or  daughter  who  fails  in  respect 


AMOY  173 

to  parents  is  considered  worse  than  an  infidel.  Spirituous  liq- 
uor as  a  beverage  is  scarcely  known  among  them,  but  the  use 
of  tea  is  universal,  and  they  exhilarate  and  stupefy  themselves 
by  the  use  of  opium.  Women  are  considered  in  the  light  of 
slaves,  and  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  them  yoked  together 
in  plowing  the  ground  and  other  beastly  labor. 

May  1. — I  have  to-day  chartered  my  barque  to  take  a  cargo 
to  Manila  for  one  thousand  dollars,  with  the  prospect  of  hav- 
ing from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  deck  passengers 
at  eight  dollars  a  head,  they  furnishing  their  own  rice. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Sunday,  May  2. — I  have  this  day  been  to  church !  And  what 
a  church!  A  short  time  since  the  British  Consul  being  in  Cal- 
cutta, proposed  to  the  bishop  there  to  send  a  chaplain  to  Amoy, 
and  the  bishop,  having  a  number  of  supernumeraries  on  his 
hands,  was  of  course  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  place  one  of 
them,  and  sent  him  up  here,  with  the  understanding  that  the 
Europeans  settled  here  would  support  him.  A  fund  was  raised 
by  subscription,  the  aforesaid  consular  dignitary  heading  it  with 
a  yearly  subscription  of  $100,  the  other  residents  following,  some 
to  the  tune  of  $100,  others  50  cents  and  so  on.  But  the  religious 
excitement  soon  fagged  out,  the  subscribers  continue  to  pay  up, 
but  leave  the  parson  to  preach  to  an  empty  house.  There  were 
seven  ladies  and  three  children,  an  English  shipmaster  and  my- 
self composing  the  congregation.  It  was  the  flattest  thing  im- 
aginable, the  services  at  church. 

Having  mentioned  the  English  Consul  leads  me  to  remark 
that  her  majesty  Queen  Victoria  has  some  seven  or  eight  sub- 
jects residing  here,  and  to  protect  their  interest,  she — no,  the 
English  nation — keeps  up  the  following  establishment  in  Amoy : 

Consul    £1,200 

Vice  ditto  800 

Interpreter 800 

Ditto  assistant   600 

Linguist 500 

Ditto  assistant   400 

Surgeon   700 

Coolies  and  incidentals 1,000 


£6,000  or  $30,000 

I  have  to  record  here  a  most  melancholy  catastrophe.  For  a 
few  years  past  a  great  number  of  Chinese  coolies  have  been  sent 
from  this  country  to  Peru,  to  work  in  the  mines  and  on  the 
Guano  islands.     The  poor  creatures  are  induced  to  embark  on 

174 


rj  q 

a  I 

a:  a 

CQ  > 
V 

"  - 

Z  B 

O  § 


SLAVERY  175 

these  expeditions  by  fraudulent  representations.  They  have  not 
the  means  of  paying  for  their  passage,  and  are  induced  to  bind 
themselves  to  work  three  years  for  their  food  and  clothing,  and 
at  the  expiration  of  that  time  to  be  free.  But  when  once  there 
they  become  slaves,  and  worse  than  slaves,  for  their  master  or 
owner  has  no  inducement  to  keep  them  in  good  working  con- 
dition when  their  time  of  service  is  drawing  to  a  close.  The 
most  horrible  accounts  have  been  received  from  Peru  within 
the  last  year,  yet  still  the  traffic  is  carried  on,  generally  by  foul 
means. 

A  few  weeks  since  the  ship  Robert  Bourne  of  New  York, 
Capt.  Brison,  who,  I  believe,  belonged  to  New  Haven,  started 
from  this  place  with  upwards  of  four  hundred  of  these  poor 
creatures  on  board ;  she  was  ostensibly  bound  to  San  Francisco. 
When  about  two  weeks  out,  they  learned  through  an  interpreter 
who  had  overheard  some  conversation  between  the  captain  and 
his  mate,  that  they  were  destined  for  Peru,  and  they  rose  in 
their  desperation,  murdered  the  captain  and  his  officers,  and  com- 
pelled the  seamen  to  land  them  on  an  island  somewhere  to  the 
northeast  of  Formosa.  When  they  had  all  but  about  twenty 
gone  on  shore,  the  crew  succeeded  in  confining  these  twenty,  and 
brought  the  ship  back  to  Amoy.  This  is  the  story  as  told  by 
the  crew.  A  man-o'-war  and  a  steamer  have  gone  in  search  of 
the  island.  Nov/,  piratical  as  this  story  appears,  I  have  no  hesita- 
tion in  saying  that  I  believe  the  captain  brought  this  catastrophe 
upon  himself.  I  have  no  doubt  his  object  was  to  take  the  poor 
wretches  to  Callao  on  speculation.  This  is  evident  from  his 
having  so  many  on  board,  for  he  must  have  known  that  the 
passenger  law  would  not  allow  him  to  bring  more  than  250  steer- 
age passengers  into  the  United  States,  and  his  ship  would  have 
been  confiscated  on  his  arrival  at  San  Francisco. 

There  is  another  circumstance,  too,  of  a  most  outrageous  and 
certainly  exceedingly  imprudent  nature.  Captain  Brison  took 
the  dangerous  liberty  to  cut  off  the  queues  of  the  greater  part  of 
these  people.  I  have  frequently  spoken  of  a  Chinaman's  pig- 
tail. Now,  ridiculous  as  these  appendages  seem  to  us,  they  con- 
sider them  sacred,  and  it  is  esteemed  in  China  the  greatest  of  all 
punishments  to  deprive  a  culprit  of  his  queue.     Now,  when  you 


i76  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

think  of  the  three  hundred  of  these  betrayed  wretches  mutilated 
in  this  way  and  the  rest  of  them  in  constant  dread  of  undergoing 
the  same  sacrifice,  I  say  the  catastrophe  is  no  more  than  might 
have  been  expected. 

How  prone  is  human  nature  to  oppression.  A  braggart 
whom  the  accident  of  birth  and  fortune  has  placed  in  a  station 
above  some  of  his  fellow  creatures,  treats  those  over  whom  he 
has  a  temporary  authority  as  though  they  were  not  of  the  same 
flesh  and  blood  as  himself,  a  sure  sign  of  a  miserable  coward 
when  brought  in  contact  with  his  equals.  I  did  not  know  Cap- 
tain Brison.  He  is  said  to  have  been  sole  owner  of  the  Robert 
Bowne,  which  he  had  bought  in  San  Francisco  for  a  trifle.  The 
American  Consul  at  this  place  is  accused  of  being  concerned 
in  this  worse  than  African  slave  trade. 

Opposite  to  Amoy,  and  forming  one  side  of  its  harbor,  is  a 
romantic  island  with  the  mellifluent  name  of  Kolangsee.  I  took 
my  boat  and  sailed  over  to  take  a  survey  of  it.  It  is  a  curious 
mingling  of  granite  and  rich  soil,  cultivated  in  every  spot,  where 
a  spade  can  be  used.  Rocks  from  the  size  of  a  barrel  to  that 
of  a  church  lie  piled  up  on  one  another  in  a  singular  manner, 
presenting  every  possible  variety  of  form,  and  between  the  clus- 
ters of  rocks,  every  foot  of  space  is  occupied  either  as  a  grave 
or  a  cabbage  patch,  and  in  many  places  the  vegetables  are  grow- 
ing over  the  graves.  The  faces  of  the  rocks  are  carved  and  fig- 
ured in  memory  of  the  dead.  There  was  one  piece  of  granite 
with  a  perpendicular  face  fifty  feet  high  and  as  many  broad 
fronting  the  town ;  the  whole  of  this  face  is  cut  in  Chinese  char- 
acters ;  it  is  an  epitaph  to  some  one  who,  not  content  with  a  com- 
mon tombstone,  left  a  sum  of  money  to  construct  this  everlasting 
monument. 

Having  wandered  to  the  top  of  the  dividing  ridge,  I  was  sur- 
prised to  find  a  very  pretty  looking  village  down  at  the  base  of 
the  rocks  on  the  other  side.  The  descent  to  it  was  literally  clear 
of  rocks  and  was  formed  into  a  series  of  terraces,  rising  one 
above  another,  like  a  huge  staircase.  These  terraces  were  all 
formed  on  a  perfect  level  and  surrounded  with  small  embank- 
ments a  few  inches  high,  and  were  planted  in  rice.  They  were 
kept  irrigated  by  water  from  springs  in  the  elevations,  which 


KOLANGSEE  177 

was  conducted  to  the  upper  terrace  through  a  little  canal;  from 
this  a  cut  in  the  embankment  let  off  the  surplus  water  to  the 
next  terrace  below,  from  that  to  the  third  in  the  same  way,  and 
so  on  to  the  lower  terrace,  and  from  that  to  the  sea. 

As  I  stood  on  the  ridge  looking  about,  a  parcel  of  dogs  down 
in  the  village  set  up  a  yelping,  and  immediately  a  posse  of  sol- 
diers came  tumbling  out  of  a  small  building,  probably  their  bar- 
racks, and  began  to  blaze  away  with  their  matchlocks.  At  first 
I  thought  I  might  be  treading  on  forbidden  ground,  but  presently 
recollecting  of  having  heard  others  talk  of  their  strolls  on  Kol- 
angsee,  I  ventured  to  descend  to  the  valley,  and  the  illusion  van- 
ished. What  I  took  to  be  a  neat  little  village  proved  to  be,  like 
all  other  Chinese  towns,  a  motley  collection  of  hovels  jumbled 
together  without  regard  to  order  and  regularity.  All  the  build- 
ings that  evinced  any  pretension  to  comfort  were  deserted,  and 
the  doors  and  windows  blocked  up  with  stones  and  brick.  This, 
I  was  informed,  was  owing  to  their  "Celestial"  prejudices.  Dur- 
ing the  opium  war,  an  English  brigade  was  quartered  here,  the 
officers  took  possession  of  all  the  best  houses,  and  after  they 
had  evacuated  the  place,  no  Chinaman  would  succeed  the  "bar- 
barians" as  occupants.  The  owners  will  not  remove  them  and 
build  others,  and  there  they  are  to  remain,  monuments  of  the  dis- 
grace and  cowardice  of  the  Chinese. 

Roaming  about  this  village,  I  came  to  a  spot  of  about  half 
an  acre  enclosed  in  a  wall  of  masonry,  in  European  style.  This 
was  a  cemetery  for  the  foreigners  and  missionaries.  I  searched 
out  the  keeper,  who  very  readily  and  politely  opened  the  gate  for 
me.  There  were  about  twenty  tombs  and  tablets,  and  on  one  of 
the  most  imposing  was  this  inscription: 

"In  Memory  of 
Mrs.  Clarissa,  Wife  of 
Rev.  Elihu  Doty,"  Etc. 
"Mourn  not  for  me 
When  I  am  gone, 
But  meet  me,  meet  me 
Near  the  Throne." 

Next  to  that  was  a  smaller  tablet,  in  memory  of  a  child 
of  Mr.  Doty,  eight  months  old,  buried  two  years  afterwards. 


i78  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

So  it  seems  Mr.  Doty  practiced  upon  the  tenor  of  the  sonnet 
that  he  had  caused  to  be  inscribed  upon  his  first  wife's  tomb, 
He  did  not  mourn  long,  but  hastened  home  to  America,  consoled 
himself  for  her  loss  in  the  arms  of  another,  and  got  back  to  his 
"field  of  labor"  in  time  to  place  her  dead  child  of  eight  months 
by  the  side  of  his  first  wife,  all  in  about  two  years.  "Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant." 

Now,  the  last  person  I  saw  in  Whampoa  was  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Bonney,  American  missionary.  He  came  on  board  my  barque 
just  as  I  was  getting  under  way,  with  a  lumbering  box,  which 
he  wished  me  to  carry  to  Amoy  and  give  to  the  Rev.  Elihu 
Doty,  and  the  first  person  I  saw  in  Amoy  was  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Doty  himself.  As  I  was  entering  the  harbor,  and  before  I  had 
reached  the  anchorage,  a  beautiful  barge  came  alongside  rowed 
by  four  young  Chinamen  in  European  costume,  with  a  dashing 
looking  coxwain,  dressed  in  a  hunting  suit  with  a  stylish  jockey 
cap;  I  took  him  to  be  a  new  collector  or  a  custom  house  in- 
spector. He  sprang  on  deck  with  a  whisking  rattan  in  his  hand, 
and  advancing  to  me,  extended  his  hand,  with,  "Well,  Captain, 
got  along  at  last,  long  passage,  glad  to  see  you  though,  and  how 
do  you  do?"  Not  knowing  the  importance  of  my  visitor,  I  per- 
haps did  not  receive  him  with. as  much  dignity  as  he  expected, 
and  I  was  busy  in  giving  directions  in  shortening  sail,  prepara- 
tory to  coming  to  anchor,  when  he  obtruded  by  asking  if  I  had 
anything  on  board  for  the  Rev  Mr.  Doty.  I  told  him  there  was  a 
box  on  board  for  that  gentleman,  which  awaited  his  order  on 
producing  a  permit.  "Oh,  never  mind  the  permit,"  said  he,  "I 
am  Mr.  Doty,  and  we  missionaries  do  not  require  permits.  I'll 
take  the  box,  if  you  please,  and,  Captain,  when  you  come  on 
shore,  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  at  my  residence,"  pointing  to  a 
very  pretty  cottage  in  the  outskirts,  half  hidden  by  shrubbery. 
"And,  by  the  way,  Captain,"  he  continued,  "if  you  have  any 
remittances  to  make,  I  shall  be  glad  to  furnish  you  with  a  bill 
for  any  amount  you  may  require,  for  I  am  all  the  time  drawing 
on  the  Board  at  home." 

I  looked  at  his  animated  face,  and  thought  of  the  expulsion 
of  the  money-changers  from  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  by  Mr. 
Doty's  Lord  and  Master. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

I  suspend  my  narrative  for  a  page  or  two  to  indite 
A  Chapter  on   Missions. 

From  early  manhood  it  has  been  instinctive  with  me  to  en- 
quire into  the  cause  or  reason  of  everything,  to  learn  the  why 
and  the  wherefore,  and  the  result  of  every  public  enterprise,  and 
when  called  upon  to  contribute  to  any  common  fund,  first  to 
learn  the  exact  object  of  that  fund,  its  appropriation  and  effect, 
or  what  good  it  does,  and  in  respect  to  foreign  missions,  I  have 
never  contributed  anything,  for  it  has  always  seemed  to  me 
that  money  spent  in  that  way  has  served  to  keep  up  an  un- 
healthy excitement  in  the  Christian  community,  which  has  tended 
to  produce  a  great  amount  of  individual  misery  and  suffering, 
without  any  corresponding  benefit  to  the  world  at  large.  My 
experience  now,  after  having  wandered  the  world  over,  and  vis- 
ited many  of  the  fields  of  missionary  labors,  has  tended  to  con- 
firm my  early  impressions.  I  would  not  say  that  those  who  do 
not  think  as  I  do  are  not  sincere  in  their  views  and  efforts,  far 
be  it  from  me  to  be  uncharitable  in  my  opinion  of  others.  But 
with  the  purest  motives,  that  very  sincerity  has  induced  many  a 
young  man  and  woman,  too,  to  tear  themselves  away  from  a 
family  circle,  where  they  have  been  the  solace  of  parents,  and 
the  delight  of  friends,  and  to  devote  themselves  to  a  life  of 
deprivation  and  suffering  in  a  climate  which  their  constitutions 
were  not  fitted  to  encounter,  and  too  often  to  produce  an  off- 
spring of  puny  little  innocents,  too  feeble  to  endure,  and,  in 
most  cases,  the  early  victims  of  the  mistaken  efforts  of  their 
parents  to  do  the  Lord's  work  for  him. 

The  first  thing  a  missionary  does  on  reaching  his  field  of 
labor  is  to  endeavor  to  learn  the  language — no  easy  task  in  most 
cases.  While  doing  this,  their  ambition  to  be  thought  a  good 
servant,  prompts  them  to  write  often  to  their  employers,  and  to 
make    their   communications    interesting,    statements   of  conver- 

179 


180  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

sions  are  set  forth  in  enthusiastic  terms,  which  the  reality  will  by 
no  means  warrant.  These  letters  are  published  in  missionary 
magazines,  and  devotees  at  home  receive  them  in  the  fullest 
sense  as  literally  true,  and  consider  them  as  remarkable  proofs  of 
God's  favor  on  their  enterprise. 

But,  my  credulous,  though  sincere  friend,  real  conversions 
from  heathenism,  or  Mahometanism  to  Christianity,  are  like  an- 
gels' visits.  "Lida  Hama,"  whose  case  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Bette- 
heim  make  themselves  so  eloquent  about,  was  a  madman.  Has- 
san Armein,  whom  the  Rev.  Mr.  W.  cites  as  an  instance  of  Di- 
vine grace,  as  a  brand  plucked  from  the  burning,  was  an  out- 
cast from  his  own  community  on  account  of  his  crimes ;  he  can 
receive  no  countenance  from  his  own  fraternity,  and,  sly  dog, 
he  resorts  to  the  missionary  chapel,  puts  on  a  demure  face, 
groans  and  says  amen  to  matters  that  he  can  no  more  under- 
stand than  a  monkey.  The  missionary  grabs  at  him,  gives  him 
food  and  clothing  and  treats  him  like  the  lost  sheep  found ;  he  is 
deceitfully  grateful  and  is  pronounced  a  convert,  as  something 
rescued  from  that  perdition  that  must  be  the  fate  of  the  millions 
who  have  discarded  him. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Doty  finds  a  vagabond  at  Amoy,  poor  and  un- 
able to  find  employment;  he  offers  another  fit  subject  for  con- 
version ;  Mr.  D.  takes  an  interest  in  him ;  the  shrewd  fellow 
takes  advantage  of  it  and  professes  a  hypocritical  desire  to  be- 
come a  Christian.  Mr.  D.  solicits  employment  for  him  in  the 
establishment  of  Messrs.  Tait  &  Co.,  and  he  is  duly  reported 
a  convert.  But  on  the  first  good  opportunity  he  steals  from 
his  employer,  receives  a  sound  castigation  and  is  discharged. 
Mr.  Doty  sees  no  more  of  him,  he  was  mistaken,  that's  all,  but 
the  mistake  is  not  reported  at  "the  Board." 

Now,  I  venture  to  say  that  if  an  impartial  investigation  of  all 
missionary  establishments  could  be  had,  nine  in  ten,  if  not  ninety- 
nine  in  a  hundred,  of  the  reported  cases  of  conversion  would  be 
found  to  be  of  this  class.  For  these  miserable  returns,  contribu- 
tions are  extorted  from  the  suffering  poor,  who  are  made  to  be- 
lieve that  they  are  lending  to  the  Lord ;  and  hundreds  of  excel- 
lent, but  mistaken  young  men  and  women  have  been  sacrificed, 
and  children  born  to  a  few  months  or  years  of  pain  and  suffer- 
ing. 


MISSIONS  181 

Who  has  ever  been  in  Calcutta  but  has  noticed  the  sallow 
complexion  and  languid  action  of  the  European  residents?  Even 
John  Bull  soon  loses  his  floridity,  biliary  affections  undermine  his 
vitality,  and  "Bass"  or  "Alsop"  cannot  save  him.  An  evening 
drive  upon  the  Strand  will  exhibit  a  stream  of  carriages  in  which 
listless,  languid  ladies  loll  luxuriantly  upon  their  lifeless  liege 
lords,  while  at  their  feet  their  limpsy  lovelings  look  longingly 
to  them  like  tendrils  for  support  in  their  little,  lessening  lease  of 
life.    They  must  be  sent  home  to  England  to  be  invigorated. 

In  1837,  being  in  Calcutta,  I  was  applied  to  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Webb,  a  missionary  to  the  Burmese,  for  a  passage  to  America 
for  his  wife  and  two  little  boys.  He  was  from  Philadelphia  and 
had  come  out  to  Rangoon  with  a  young  and  amiable  wife  to  con- 
vert the  Burmese  from  their  manner  of  worship  to  Christianity. 
The  climate  soon  undermined  Mrs.  Webb's  constitution,  but 
she  had  lingered  along,  and  had  given  birth  to  two  puny  inno- 
cents. At  length,  the  physician  told  Mr.  Webb  that  the  only 
hope  was  to  get  her  to  sea  as  soon  as  possible.  I  felt  deeply 
for  her,  and  was  grieved  that  I  had  no  room  to  accommodate 
her.    One  of  her  children  died  before  she  left  Calcutta. 

Now,  if  it  was  God's  purpose  that  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ 
should  prevail  throughout  the  world,  would  he  not  favour  his  de- 
voted servants  and  grant  them  tangible  tokens  of  his  approba- 
tion ?  But  we  see  that  it  is  His  pleasure  that  different  religions  or 
forms  of  worship  should  prevail  in  different  portions  of  His 
earth,  and  He  needs  not  man's  interference.  "All  scripture  is 
given  by  inspiration  of  God,"  and  cannot  God  inspire  a  native 
heathen  with  heavenly  fervor  to  declare  His  will,  who  should 
have  more  influence  with  his  brethren  than  all  the  devoted  mis- 
sionaries that  have  gone  from  Europe  or  America  from  St.  Au- 
gustine down  to  the  Rev.  Elihu  H.  Doty? 

Were  I  arguing  with  a  zealous  friend  of  missions,  he  would 
probably  remind  me  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  as  an  evidence  of 
the  good  effects  of  missionary  influences.  But  the  semi-civiliza- 
tion of  those  islands  has  been  caused  by  the  intercourse  of  trade ; 
merchants  and  mechanics  have  settled  there,  and  ships  have  re- 
sorted there  to  refresh  and  repair;  and  the  consequent  inter- 
course has   gradually  ameliorated   the  condition   of  the   inhab- 


i82  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

itants.  But  it  may  well  be  considered  questionable  whether  their 
condition  is  bettered  by  the  intercourse.  Certain  it  is  that  the 
vilest  disease  in  the  whole  catalogue,  which  was  unknown  among 
them  when  they  were  first  visited  by  Captain  Cook  not  a  cen- 
tury since,  is  now  the  fell  scourge  that  is  fast  exterminating  the 
aborigines  who  do  not  now  number  one-fifth  part  of  the  popu- 
lation which  they  did  when  discovered.  Missionaries  have  fol- 
lowed the  merchants  and  whaleships,  preaching  a  gospel,  which 
they  tell  them  is  one  of  "peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  men." 
But  to  enforce  the  precept  by  example,  the  Kanaka  sees,  one  sect 
of  missionaries  have  intrigued  with  the  government  for  the  ex- 
pulsion of  another  sect,  merely  because  their  manner  of  worship- 
ing the  same  God  is  not  exactly  coincident  with  their  own. 

While  in  Canton  I  met  with  some  numbers  of  the  "Chinese 
Repository,"  a  magazine  published  under  missionary  auspices. 
In  one  of  them  is  a  history  of  Protestant  missions  to  China,  from 
which  it  appears  that  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago,  a  Dutch 
commercial  company  established  a  trading  post  at  Formosa,  a 
large  island  lying  contiguous  to  the  coast  of  China.  Missionaries 
followed,  and  great  efforts  were  made  for  the  spread  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  at  one  time  the  church  was  said  to  be  in  a  flourish- 
ing condition.  But  after  about  thirty  years,  the  company  aban- 
doned the  island,  and  Christianity  died  out.  Half  of  the  mis- 
sionaries died.  Others  returned  home  sick,  and  the  rest  were 
driven  away  by  the  natives.  The  account  goes  on  to  say  that  "no 
traces  of  Christianity  have  ever  been  discovered  there  since,  and 
it  is  melancholy  to  reflect  how  many  valuable  lives  have  been 
sacrificed  in  vain."  Should  the  American  government  succeed 
in  opening  a  direct  trade  with  Japan,  it  will  have  great  influence 
in  spreading  Christianity  in  the  East. 

The  popular  missionary  hymn  of  the  celebrated  Bishop  Heber 
contains  this  stanza: 

"In  vain  with  lavish  kindness, 
The  gifts  of  God  are  strown, 
The  heathen  in  his  blindness 
Bows  down  to  wood  and  stone." 

The  gifts  of  God  lavishly  strewn  in  vain!  Lavish  is  a  very 
improper  word,  learned  bishop.     Immeasurably  superior  to  this, 


MISSIONS  183 

in  my  estimation,  is  that  Catholic  hymn  that,  with  reference  to 
a  future  state,  contains  this  stanza: 

"Christian  and  Pagan,  Greek  and  Jew 
In  one  immortal  throng  we  view; 
Howe'er  divided  here  below, 
One  God,  one  worship  there  they  know." 

If  Bishop  Heber  meant  to  convey  the  idea  that  the  heathen 
bow  down  to  wood  and  stone,  and  worship  inanimate  idols  as 
such,  he  is  either  a  fool  or  a  hypocrite.  He  knew  very  well  that 
they  only  make  use  of  images  as  the  Catholics  do  paintings,  as 
something  tangible  to  fix  the  eye  and  the  mind  upon,  while  they 
worship  the  "Unknown  God,"  and  charity  should  have  taught 
him  to  acknowledge  the  sincerity  of  their  worship,  which  would 
put  to  shame  the  hollow  profession  of  many  a  Christian  con- 
gregation. 

If  this  essay  should  meet  the  eye  of  any  bigoted  zealot  in  mis- 
sions, he  will  probably  exclaim,  "What  gross  infidelity!"  But, 
my  fellow-travelers  through  life's  journey,  with  reference  to  the 
self -existence  of  a  Supreme  Being,  I  am  no  infidel;  in  love  and 
veneration  for  His  almighty  and  parental  character,  I  yield  not 
to  mortal  man.  But  I  view  Him  as  the  wise,  beneficent  and 
merciful  Father  of  all  His  creatures,  and  not  as  a  God  of  ven- 
geance and  partiality.  Such  a  God  I  could  not  worship.  I  do 
not  say  but  He  will  punish  the  offenses  of  His  creatures  in  His 
own  time  and  manner,  but  I  consider  the  object  of  all  punish- 
ment to  be  disciplinary  and  corrective,  and  not  revengeful,  and 
when  that  punishment  shall  have  had  its  intended  effect,  and 
conscience  shall  have  done  its  perfect  work,  then  will 
the  chastened  and  purified  spirits  of  offending  mortals  be 
received  into  the  great  assembly  of  the  redeemed.  Then  (adopt- 
ing a  sentiment  from  Nature's  sweetest  poet)  "will  one  un- 
bounded 'Love'  encircle  all,"  and  there  shall  be  universal  joy  in 
heaven. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

I  have  met  with  another  disappointment,  causing  me  a  loss 
of  one  thousand  dollars.  When  I  chartered  my  vessel  for  Ma- 
nila, I  fully  expected  to  have  two  hundred  and  fifty  deck  passen- 
gers at  eight  dollars  a  head.  But,  having  got  my  cargo  all  in, 
I  laid  the  barque  in  a  berth  to  receive  my  troupe  of  long  tails, 
when  I  found  that  the  consignees  of  an  old  brig  that  had  been 
hauled  up  for  a  year  were  at  work  in  opposition.  They  laid  their 
old  craft  alongside  and  sent  round  circulars,  offering  to  take  pas- 
sengers two  dollars  lower  than  I  would,  so  that  if  I  would  take 
them  at  five  dollars  they  would  take  them  at  three.  Conse- 
quently I  only  obtained  about  thirty  who  thought  enough  of 
their  comfort  to  pay  me  my  price.  The  old  brig  took  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  crowded  together  on  the  deck  of  a  vessel 
of  one  hundred  and  forty-five  tons.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  at 
eight  dollars  would  be  two  thousand  dollars,  and  as  I  sail  the 
vessel  on  shares,  one-half  of  the  gross  amount  would  have  been 
for  my  individual  benefit.  All  right  in  the  end,  perhaps ! 
I  was  born  with  a  silver  spoon  in  my  mouth,  but  it  was  snatched 
away  early,  and  one  of  iron  substituted,  and  disappointments 
have  pursued  me  ever  since. 

I  bid  adieu  to  Amoy  on  the  13th  of  May.  It  was  calm  and 
I  drifted  round  Kolangsee  and  out  by  the  southern  side  of  the 
island.  This  passage  is  three  miles  wide,  with  plenty  of  water 
for  the  largest  ships  and  a  thousand  men-of-war  might  be  ac- 
commodated inside  of  the  outer  islands.  Having  towed  and 
drifted  out  clear  of  all  the  islands,  I  caught  a  breeze,  but  as  a 
matter  of  course  it  came  directly  ahead.  After  beating  against 
it  three  days  I  arrived  off  the  north  end  of  Luconia,  the  island 
of  which  Manila  is  the  chief  commercial  port,  and  is  situated 
on  the  western  side,  about  midway  the  island  and  three  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  from  the  north  end.  Here  I  fell  in  with  a  large 
American  clipper  ship,  and  had  a  race  with  her  for  the  port  of 
Manila.    The  winds  continued  ahead,  with  frequent  squalls  and 

184 


AN    INCIDENT  185 

abundance  of  rain  with  thunder  and  lightning.  Saw  the  same 
ship  every  day ;  on  some  tacks  she  would  pass  to  windward  and 
again  she  would  be  some  miles  under  my  lea,  and  on  the  evening 
of  the  25th  we  both  arrived  at  the  entrance  of  Manila  Bay  to- 
gether. 

The  night  threatened  to  be  tempestuous,  and  the  ship  stood 
off  shore,  but  experience  has  taught  me  the  value  of  prompt 
action  in  securing  a  freight,  and  having  got  hold  of  the  land- 
marks before  night,  I  ran  boldly  in,  and  at  sunrise  anchored 
in  Manila  Roads.  As  soon  as  business  opened  I  arranged  with 
Messrs.  Reissel  and  Sturgis  for  a  freight  of  sugar  and  rice  for 
New  York  at  $12  a  ton. 

The  second  day  out  from  Amoy  I  noticed  one  among  the 
passengers  who  seemed  to  be  very  sober  and  disconsolate,  so 
different  from  the  gaiety  and  frivolity  of  the  rest  that  I  was 
induced  to  try  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  his  disquietude.  I 
found  that  he  had  acquired  a  smattering  of  English  and  could 
read  some  (he  had  been  a  pupil  in  some  mission  school).  He 
gave  me  to  understand  that  he  wanted  to  become  a  Christian, 
and  I  gave  him  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament  and  told  him  it 
contained  an  account  of  the  life  and  teachings  of  the  author  of 
Christianity.  He  took  it  thankfully  and  for  several  days  I  ob- 
served that  he  kept  himself  apart  from  his  companions  reading 
his  book. 

One  day  he  was  seen  lying  at  full  length  on  the  topgallant 
forecastle,  with  his  head  resting  on  the  anchor  and  his  Testament 
in  his  hand.  Suddenly  he  rolled  over  and  slipped  headforemost 
into  the  sea.  The  ship's  headway  was  stopped  immediately  and 
a  boat  despatched  to  his  rescue,  but  he  seemed  to  avoid  being 
taken  and  swam  away  from  the  vessel,  several  times  rising  half 
his  length  out  of  the  water,  and  turning  upon  us  a  horrible, 
ghastly  look  which  I  can  never  forget.  When  the  boat  had 
come  within  an  oar's  length  he  threw  his  whole  length  out  of 
the  water,  turned  a  somersault  and  plunged  headforemost  be- 
neath the  surface,  and  was  not  seen  afterward.  Poor  fellow, 
he  has  already  learned  that  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons  or 
nations,  and  if 


186  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

"On  earth,  according  to  his  light, 
He  aimed  to  practice  what  was  right, 
God  will  admit  his  honest  claim, 
Though  he  ne'er  heard  of  Jesus'  name." 

At  4  p.  m.  the  ship  made  her  appearance  and  proved  to  be 
the  Golden  Gate,  Capt.  Truman,  from  Hong  Kong,  in  search 
of  a  freight.  He  was  obliged  to  take  ten  dollars  a  ton  for  New 
York.  Mr.  Sturgis  asked  me  if  I  did  not  know  that  ship  was 
outside.  "Certainly  I  did,"  said  I,  "but  I  did  not  consider  it 
any  part  of  my  business  to  inform  you  of  it."  "All  right," 
said  he. 

Manila  is  the  capital  of  Luconia  and  of  the  Philippine  Is- 
lands; it  is  situated  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep  bay  or  inland  sea; 
on  the  west  it  opens  into  the  China  Sea.  The  Philippines  be- 
long to  Spain,  and,  like  all  Catholic  cities,  Manila  is  abundantly 
supplied  with  churches,  convents  and  barracks,  priests,  padres, 
monks  and  military  grandees,  who  monopolize  the  best  quar- 
ters and  the  best  of  everything. 

It  is  now  a  festival  season,  and  illuminations  and  torch-light 
processions  are  the  order  of  the  day,  or  rather  the  night.  Every 
second  or  third  evening  a  priestly  parade  takes  place,  escorted 
by  the  military,  with  a  magnificent  brass  band,  carrying  about 
their  sacred  symbols  and  an  image  of  the  Madonna,  surrounded 
with  immense  candles  blazing  in  great  profusion. 

The  Virgin  Mother  is  arrayed  in  the  most  costly  silks,  glit- 
tering with  gold  and  precious  stones,  in  exceedingly  bad  taste, 
in  my  opinion,  for  the  mother  of  Jesus  was  a  virgin  in  humble 
circumstances,  and  although  of  the  stem  of  David,  yet  she  lived 
in  obscurity  in  Nazareth,  and  gave  birth  to  her  child  in  a  stable 
and  cradled  him  in  a  manger.  The  image  is  carried  about  on  a 
palanquin  by  four  priests,  and  is  furnished  with  an  abundance 
of  small  cakes.  The  churches  are  very  large  and  have  numer- 
ous compartments  dedicated  to  different  saints  and  adorned  with 
their  images,  and  hung  round  with  paintings  of  Scripture 
scenes. 

To  one  coming  from  China,  Manila  seems  a  very  fine  place; 
it  is  well  laid  out,  with  beautiful  drives  or  walks  in  the  environs. 
My  vessel  being  of  light  draft  of  water,  I  placed  her  in  the 
inner  harbour,  in  front  of  a  hotel  where  I  have  taken  up  my 


MANILA  187 

residence,  and  once  more  I  seem  to  be  in  a  land  of  civilization. 
There  is  a  little  river  which  runs  up  to  the  eastward  about 
twenty  miles  and  connects  with  a  small  lake. 

June  10th. — Dined  with  Henry  Sturgis,  Esq.,  formerly  of 
Boston,  and  after  dinner  rode  out  with  him  to  take  a  look  at 
the  country.  We  went  about  five  miles  over  a  smooth  avenue 
bordered  with  tamarind  and  mango  trees.  The  latter  is  a  beau- 
tiful tree,  about  twenty-five  feet  high,  foliage  of  a  dark  green ; 
the  fruit  is  delicious,  kidney-shaped,  thick  rind,  pulp  bright  yel- 
low, and  next  to  the  mangosteen  it  is  considered  the  choicest 
fruit  of  the  tropics. 

The  country  around  Manila  is  low  and  level,  well  suited  to 
the  growth  of  rice,  which  is  cultivated  extensively.  The  native 
husbandmen  have  each  a  patch  of  ground  of  about  half  an  acre, 
surrounded  by  a  low  embankment  on  which  are  growing  rows 
of  the  stately  and  useful  bamboo.  Their  cottages  are  built  of 
bamboo  poles,  interwoven  with  thatch,  and  stand  on  bamboo 
piles  about  five  feet  from  the  ground.  They  have  only  one 
apartment,  10  to  15  feet  square.  Here  the  whole  tribe,  father, 
mother  and  children,  who  are  as  plenty  as  blackberries,  all 
tumble  in  together  in  rainy  weather,  but  at  this  season  of  the 
year  they  lie  about  anywhere  under  the  trees.  They  appear  to 
be  contented  and  happy,  and  a  king  can  be  no  more.  They 
are  very  polite  to  strangers,  but  they  are  slothful  and  indolent, 
which  is  not  strange,  considering  that  their  wants  are  few  and 
easily  supplied,  and  the  climate  is  so  enervating. 

The  air  was  perfumed  with  jasmines  and  orange  blossoms, 
and  I  enjoyed  the  ride  much.  Returning,  we  passed  through 
between  two  lines  of  women  and  girls  reaching  more  than  a 
mile ;  they  were  the  operatives  in  a  segar  factory,  returning 
home  from  their  day's  work.  The  making  of  segars  is  a  Gov- 
ernment monopoly.  The  factory  is  an  immense  building,  or 
rather  range  of  buildings,  where  six  thousand  women  are  em- 
ployed in  rolling  up  cheroots.  Manila  tobacco  is  next  in  quality 
to  Havana,  the  one  in  the  East,  and  the  other  the  Queen  of 
the  West  Indies,  are  both  colonies  of  the  effeminate  kingdom 
of  old  Spain. 

The  productions  of  the  Philippines  are  numerous  and  val- 
uable:   sugar,    cotton,   tobacco,    rice,    indigo,   pearls,    silk    and 


188  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

hemp;  the  last  being  the  chief  article  of  export;  it  is  the  inner 
bark  of  a  species  of  palm  tree,  which  grows  wild  in  all  these 
islands,  and  is  capable  of  being  produced  in  unlimited  quantity. 
If  the  islands  belonged  to  England  or  America  the  export  would 
soon  be  increased  ten- fold,  but  the  natives  have  no  energy  or 
inducement  to  produce  any  more  than  will  supply  their  daily 
wants,  and  as  for  the  Spaniards,  they  are  a  lazy,  proud,  austere, 
hammock-swinging,  guitar  thrumming,  cock-fighting  and  bull- 
baiting  race  of  humbugs.  Even  the  steamboats  that  carry  the 
garlic-eating  dons  about  the  islands  came  out  here  from  New 
York,  and  are  managed  by  Americans. 

The  old  City  of  Manila,  or  that  part  within  the  walls,  is 
about  one-third  of  a  mile  in  extent,  situated  on  the  south  side 
of  the  small  river,  and  is  occupied  by  the  government  officials 
and  the  military.  The  business  city  is  on  the  other  side  of  the 
creek,  and  goes  by  the  name  of  San  Fernando.  The  white  pop- 
ulation is  supposed  to  be  about  400,000.  The  masses  are  of 
the  great  Malay  family,  and  are  generally  of  the  Mohammedan 
religion.     Destructive  earthquakes  are  frequent. 

In  front  of  my  window  is  an  esplanade,  and  every  evening  a 
squadron  of  troops  are  paraded  here  for  exercise  and  review ; 
they  are  all  natives,  but  are  officered  by  Spaniards.  A  most  ex- 
cellent band,  composed  of  fifty  brass  instruments,  gives  me  a 
fine  serenade;  a  hot  day  is  thus  delightfully  terminated.  The 
old  brig  that  cut  me  out  of  two  thousand  dollars  passage  money 
has  at  last  arrived,  twenty-five  days'  passage;  the  poor  Chi- 
nese have  suffered  very  much  from  destitution  and  exposure 
on  the  passage. 

June  29th. — Yesterday  there  was  a  military  parade  and  pro- 
cession in  the  fortress,  which  I  went  over  with  Capt.  F.  to  see. 
It  was  really  a  magnificent  spectacle.  In  the  procession  was 
the  Governor,  surrounded  with  an  escort  of  hussars  richly 
caparisoned.  As  "His  Excellenza"  approached  the  spectators 
doffed  their  chapeaux,  and  stood  uncovered  till  he  had  passed. 
Like  a  couple  of  green  Yankees  we  had  neglected  this  mark  of 
deference  till  we  were  reminded  of  it  by  half  a  dozen  halberds 
thrust  toward  us  and  a  ferocious  lancer  exclaimed  in  mixed 
Spanish,  French  and  English,  "Restu,  vile  Yankee,  what  for 
non  deplacer  your  cot  tarn  hat?" 


/ 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

The  difficulties  and  annoyances  in  the  way  of  doing  business 
in  Manila  are  greater  even  than  in  Russia.  Two  revenue  guards 
are  quartered  on  board  the  ship,  and  not  the  smallest  article  of 
merchandise,  or  stores,  or  even  the  captain's  baggage,  can  be 
transported  from  the  ship  to  shore  or  from  shore  to  ship  with- 
out a  special  permit,  and  to  obtain  this  you  have  to  dance  at- 
tendance at  the  "poco  poco"  Custom  House  sometimes  for  hours. 
Having  at  length  obtained  the  important  document,  you  must 
next  trudge  away  across  the  river  to  the  Intendiente's  quarters, 
whose  office  is  within  the  fortress.  This  all-sufficient  grandee 
will  very  likely  be  smoking  a  bunch  of  papellitos  with  Don 
Antonio  Pedres  Sebastian  Ippolito  Juan  Fernando  Carlos  Gar- 
cia, and  of  course  you  can  expect  no  attention  while  a  don  with 
such  a  name  as  that  remains.  At  last,  after  keeping  you  stand- 
ing for  another  hour,  he  may  condescend  to  notice  that  you  are 
waiting  and  scribble  his  autograph  and  dismiss  you  with 
"Buenos  dios,  Senor." 

You  must  then  carry  the  permit  to  the  Captain  of  the  Port 
for  his  signature,  then  take  it  thus  signed  and  countersigned 
on  board ;  and  if  the  guard  is  in  good  humour  you  may  get 
your  trunk  without  a  minute  examination.  You  now  imagine 
that  you  are  all  right,  but  not  yet,  for  now  you  must  carry  your 
trunk  to  the  guardship,  and  the  officer  on  duty  there  will  be  very 
likely  to  put  you  to  the  annoyance  and  vexation  of  a  scrutiniz- 
ing search  to  see  that  you  have  no  small  articles  secreted  among 
your  clothing,  unless  you  "butter  his  fingers" ;  that  is,  give  him 
a  dollar. 

Confound  all  custom  houses,  say  I.  When  will  the  prin- 
ciples of  free  trade  become  recognized,  and  the  only  legitimate 
way  of  raising  the  revenues  of  nations,  a  direct  taxation  upon 
all  the  property  of  the  country,  be  resorted  to?  To  impose  a 
tax  or  duty  on  imports  and  exports  is  a  violation  of  the  rights 

ISO 


190 


A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 


of  man;  it  operates  unequally,  fostering  some  branches  of  in- 
dustry at  the  expense  of  others  or  the  whole. 

The  tariffite  will  tell  me  that  a  duty  on  imports  is  necessary 
for  the  protection  and  encouragement  of  domestic  manufac- 
tures. I  am  strongly  in  favor  of  encouraging  domestic  insti- 
tutions, whether  the  aristocratic  establishments  of  millionaires 
or  the  humble  bench  and  lapstone  of  the  cobbler,  and  the  forge 
and  anvil  of  the  blacksmith,  but  let  it  be  done  by  a  surplus  fund 
raised  by  direct  taxation,  or  in  our  country  by  the  proceeds 
of  the  public  lands,  to  be  distributed  among  manufacturers  in 
the  same  way  that  fishing  bounties  now  are  among  fishermen. 

1  may  also  be  told  the  old  story  that  it  would  be  difficult,  if 
not  impossible,  to  collect  a  direct  tax.  I  do  not  see  why.  At 
home  the  revenue  of  states,  counties  and  towns  is  raised  by 
taxation,  and  is  generally  collected  by  a  single  individual,  who 
would  be  very  glad  to  have  his  commissions  increased  by  the 
collection  of  a  United  States  tax,  which  would  not  amount  to 

2  cents  per  $100.  But  by  the  present  system  one-fourth  of 
the  whole  amount  of  the  revenue  is  absorbed  in  the  collection. 

No,  sell  your  costly  custom  houses,  warehouses  and  the 
whole  establishment.  Send  the  whole  tribe  of  custom  house 
menials,  collectors,  naval  officers,  appraisers,  surveyors  and  in- 
spectors, who  fancy  they  are  the  masters  and  not  the  servants 
of  the  public,  to  the  right  about,  to  earn  an  honest  livelihood  as 
producers.  As  for  revenue  cutters,  let  them  be  appropriated  as 
coast  guards,  to  watch  for  and  relieve  ships  in  distress.  Come 
directly  to  the  dictates  of  reason  and  common  sense,  and  thus 
put  an  end  to  the  great  bone  of  contention  in  presidential  elec- 
tions, the  unprincipled  and  demoralizing  scramble  for  office. 

But  politics  have  no  business  in  this  family  book,  so  away 
with  them;  only  I  say,  do  not  make  the  poor  man,  who,  fry 
obeying  the  laws  of  nature  and  the  command  of  God,  has  bur- 
dened himself  with  a  family,  whose  expenses,  increased  by  this 
abominable  system,  have  absorbed  the  fruits  of  his  industry,  pay 
ten  or  twelve  times  as  much  into  the  public  treasury  as  the 
wealthy  bachelor,  who,  failing  to  fulfil  the-  purpose  of  his  crea- 
tion, has  by  that  means  become  rich. 

At  Manila  I  shipped  a  new  complement  of  seamen  and  a 


ANGIER  191 

second  mate,  which  is  the  fifth  time  my  crew  have  been  changed 
since  I  left  San  Francisco.  Seamen  are  an  anomalous  race, 
"a  short  life  and  a  merry  one,"  is  their  motto,  "and  when  our 
money  is  all  gone  we'll  go  to  sea  for  more,"  the  burden  of  their 
song.  But  this  is  all  right,  for  if  seamen  were  not  of  this  reck- 
less temperament  they  would  quit  a  life  so  full  of  hardship  and 
abuse,  and  commerce  would  die  out  for  want  of  the  brute  force 
to  handle  the  ships. 

I  took  my  departure  from  Manila  on  the  226.  of  June.  The 
boys,  in  weighing  the  anchors,  lightened  their  labour  by  the 
cheering  song  of  "Homeward  Bound,"  and  to  me  it  was  indeed 
inspiring.  The  southwest  monsoon  blowing  up  the  China  Sea 
made  it  necessary  for  me  to  take  the  eastern  passages  again, 
first  figuring  out  through  the  passes  between  the  Philippine  Is- 
lands, then  across  the  Sea  of  Mindoro,  through  the  Bosselan 
Straits,  over  the  Sooloo  Sea  and  then  through  the  Straits  of 
Macassar,  when  I  took  the  southeast  trade  winds  and  had  a 
good  run  across  the  Java  Sea.  I  crossed  the  Bay  of  Batavia 
inside  the  Thousand  Islands  in  order  to  have  a  look  at  the 
city,  but  I  only  saw  the  spars  of  the  shipping.  The  city  was 
too  distant  to  be  seen  without  running  out  of  my  course. 

On  the  16th  of  July  I  stopped  at  the  small  port  of  Angier, 
situated  on  the  north  coast  of  the  Island  of  Java  in  the  Straits 
of  Sunda.  This  is  the  great  resort  of  all  ships  passing  in  or 
out  the  China  Sea  to  replenish  their  stock  of  fresh  fuel  and  wa- 
ter. When  a  ship  appears  in  the  offing  a  fleet  of  bumboats  put 
off  loaded  with  poultry,  vegetables  and  fruit.  They  generally 
demand  extravagant  prices  for  what  can  be  bought  very  low 
on  shore.  Aware  of  this,  I  declined  trading  with  them,  and 
went  on  shore  and  called  upon  the  Governor,  who  was  a  tall, 
square  shouldered  Dutchman  with  a  tremendous  figure  head. 
He  is  a  naval  officer.  He  received  me  very  politely,  and  brought 
out  his  flask  of  the  genuine  Schiedam  Schnapps  and  a  supply  of 
fine-flavored  Manila  cheroots,  and  with  genuine  Dutch  hospi- 
tality he  kept  me  two  hours  listening  to  his  long  yarns  about 
tigers,  snakes,  alligators  and  the  rhinoceros.  He  sent  for  a 
trader  and  gave  him  orders  to  fill  my  memorandum  with  the 


i92  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

best,  and  to  bring  the  account  to  him,  which  he  did,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  I  saved  fifty  per  cent,  by  taking  this  course. 

When  I  was  ready  to  come  away  I  found  that  the  bum- 
boats  had  returned,  and  some  two  dozen  of  the  boatmen  had 
surrounded  my  boat  in  a  threatening  manner,  and  anticipating 
trouble  with  them,  I  returned  to  the  Governor's  house  for  pro- 
tection. He  mounted  his  sword  and  taking  a  large  cowhide 
he  went  back  to  the  boat  with  me.  The  boatmen  knew  what 
they  were  to  expect,  and  when  they  saw  his  long  nose  and  red 
face  they  made  themselves  scarce  in  quick  time. 

The  Governor  kindly  offered  to  escort  me  off  to  my  vessel 
in  his  own  barge,  and  cordially  bid  me  good-bye  and  wished  me 
a  good  passage  home. 

July  17th. — Got  under  way  from  the  anchorage  at  Angier. 
The  wind  was  light  and  variable  and  weather  very  fine.  The 
south  end  of  Sumatra  and  the  northwest  end  of  Java  are  about 
twenty  miles  apart,  and  the  passage  between  is  called  the  Straits 
of  Sunda.  Sumatra  is  the  largest  of  the  Sunda  islands,  sepa- 
rated from  the  peninsula  of  Malacca  by  the  straits  of  the  same 
name,  which,  entering  from  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  wind  around 
the  southern  extreme  of  India,  and  passing  Singapore,  connect 
with  the  China  Sea.  Its  western  coasts  extend  from  Lat.  5  deg. 
north  to  5  deg.  south  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  exhibiting  a 
chain  of  mountains  which,  commencing  at  either  extremity, 
gradually  increase  in  elevation  to  Mount  Ophir  in  the  center, 
fourteen  thousand  feet.  This  place  being  directly  under  the 
Equator,  of  course  there  is  no  difference  in  the  length  of  the 
days  and  nights  the  year  round,  the  sun  always  rising  and  set- 
ting at  6  o'clock. 

Its  productions  are  rice,  cotton,  coffee  and  spices,  cam- 
phor and  other  gums,  and  pepper,  which  offered  a  strong  temp- 
tation to  Americans  to  engage  in  its  commerce,  and  Yankee 
cupidity  soon  invented  a  means  of  increasing  the  profits  of  the 
trade.  The  simple  minded  heathen  natives  were  cheated  by 
Christian  false  weights,  until  at  last  the  film  dropped  from  the 
eyes  of  the  deluded  creatures,  and  (as  is  natural)  they  deter- 
mined upon  avenging  themselves.  The  ship  Friendship  of 
Salem  was  lying  at  "Qualla  Battoo,"  and  one  day  when  the  cap- 


THE   INDIAN  OCEAN  193 

tain,  supercargo  and  chief  mate  were  on  shore,  with  most  of  the 
crew,  weighing  pepper,  several  boats  full  of  natives  put  off  to 
the  ship,  overpowered  the  force  on  board,  after  massacring 
the  officer  in  charge,  and  slipped  the  cables  and  ran  the  ship  on 
shore.  For  this  "outrageous"  affair  the  Government  of  a  coun- 
try whose  motto  is  "Justitia  Hat,"  sent  a  powerful  frigate  to 
obtain  redress  by  indiscriminate  chastisement.  The  frigate  an- 
chored on  the  coast,  and  sent  her  cutters  in  the  night  time,  well 
armed,  and  destroyed  a  few  primitive  villages  of  bamboo  huts, 
which  deed,  on  the  frigate's  return,  was  emblazoned  as  a  glo- 
rious action,  a  heroic  attack  and  a  great  victory!  A  hundred- 
pounder  to  a  pig  sty!! 

I  bought  in  Angier  two  quite  young  monkeys  and  let  them 
climb  the  rigging  and  masts  as  they  liked.  I  had  been  sailing 
but  a  few  hours  when  one  of  them  lost  his  hold  and  fell  over- 
board. The  other  stood  on  the  rail  looking  for  a  moment 
and  then  leaped  after  his  companion,  and  after  him  leaped  a 
young  Malay  sailor.  The  wind  was  light  and  the  sea  smooth, 
and  I  brought  the  barque  to.  The  little  jackos  struck  out  man- 
fashion  after  the  ship,  and  when  the  sailor  boy  reached  them 
each  one  climbed  on  one  of  his  shoulders,  and  as  he  came  swim- 
ming back  the  seamen  set  up  a  shout  of  three  cheers,  in  which 
I  could  not  refrain  from  joining.  I  then  filled  away,  set  all  the 
light  sails,  and,  as  the  sun  went  down,  we  emerged,  as  it  were, 
from  the  world's  tunnel  into  the  vast  Indian  Ocean — 

The  ever-rolling  Indian  Ocean, 

Whose  waves,  though  now  so  calmly  lain, 

Anon  will  rise  in  wild  commotion, 
When  roars  the  dreadful  hurricane. 

July  1 8th. — I  have  now  a  clear  sea  before  me,  and  my  course 
is  from  hence  west  southerly  six  thousand  miles,  to  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.  It  will  indeed  be  to  me  a  cape  of  good  hope 
when  I  am  permitted  to  pass  it  in  safety,  for  then  a  bee  line 
northwest  seven  thousand  miles  more  will  bring  me  to  my  na- 
tive land. 

Blow,  favouring  gales, 

Swell  out  my  sails, 


i94  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

And  speed  my  way, 
Through  every  day, 
Till  safe  once  more 
I  tread  the  shore 
Of  thee,  my  own, 
My  native  land. 

The  southeast  trade  winds  are  blowing  fresh  and  every  sail 
is  doing  its  best.  Wherever  I  have  been  with  my  little  barque 
I  have  often  been  asked  what  is  the  meaning  of  her  name. 
People  who,  one  would  suppose  from  their  general  intelligence, 
would  have  often  come  across  the  term,  have  been  enlightened 
when  I  have  told  them  that  it  was  the  Latin,  Italian  and  Span- 
ish term  for  rainbow.  "Iris"  is  the  name  of  the  heathen  god- 
dess of  colours,  granddaughter  of  Oceanus.  She  is  represented 
as  a  beautiful  virgin,  with  wings,  and  dressed  in  a  robe  of  all 
colours.  "Arco"  is  the  Latin  for  arch  or  bow.  And  now  while 
this  "Rainbow"  is  flitting  along  let  us  take  a  retrospective  view 
of  the  past. 

How  little  do  we  know  what  is  before  us  in  life,  and  how 
well  it  is  that  we  know  so  little.  When  I  left  my  family  in 
September,  1848,  to  make  a  voyage  to  Liverpool  in  the  Ocean 
Queen,  how  could  I  have  imagined  that  I  was  to  be  kept  away 
four  years,  and  what  a  career  of  fortune  and  misfortune  was 
to  be  my  lot!  When  I  left  Liverpool  for  New  Orleans  nothing 
was  known  there  of  the  extraordinary  state  of  things  in  Amer- 
ica; but  on  my  arrival  at  New  Orleans  I  found  the  whole 
country  in  a  state  of  feverish  excitement,  on  account  of  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California.  The  long-sought  "El  Dorado" 
had  been  found.  Who  can  fail  to  perceive  in  this  the  direct 
agency  of  an  overruling  Providence?  The  treasures  of  that 
country  had  lain  hidden  since  the  creation  in  reserve  for  the 
time  when  the  increasing  commerce  of  the  world  should  require 
an  addition  to  its  circulating  medium. 

For  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  that  region  had  been  in  the 
possession  of  an  imbecile  nation,  and  in  order  to  develop  its 
resources  we  see  first  the  annexation  of  Texas  to  an  enlight- 
ened and  energetic  nation.  This  leads  to  our  war  with  Mexico. 
A  series  of  battles  successful  beyond  precedent  concludes  with 


IN   RETROSPECTION  195 

a  peace  with  that  country,  one  condition  of  which  peace  is  the 
cession  of  California.  No  sooner  does  that  take  place  than  its 
new  owners  discover  that  it  is  a  land  of  gold,  and  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands  of  adventurous  spirits  fly  thither  from 
all  quarters,  and  by  every  possible  route,  and  a  vast  and  val- 
uable country  is  at  once  raised  from  oblivion  to  add  a  new  and 
golden  star  to  the  glorious  constellation  of  freedom. 

Among  the  multitude  my  fate  leads  me  to  California,  where 
I  go  to  work  energetically  and  in  a  legitimate  way  to  acquire 
a  share  of  its  riches.  At  first  I  am  successful,  as  much  so  as 
my  ambition  could  anticipate,  and  I  began  to  think  that  the 
bright  star  of  my  destiny  had  at  last  arisen,  to  shed  its  cheer- 
ing influence  on  my  declining  years.  But  it  had  set  again  in 
darkness  and  gloom  ere  it  had  arisen  above  the  influence  of 
malignant  refraction.  One  cruel  blow  upsets  me  and  sets  me 
adrift,  a  lonely  wanderer,  in  the  most  busy  spot  on  earth,  poor, 
sick  and  prostrated. 

In  the  darkest  hour  of  that  gloomy  season,  when  it  seemed 
to  me  that  I  was  an  outcast,  every  one  too  much  absorbed  in 
getting  money  to  care  a  straw  for  the  unfortunate,  there  was 
one  gentleman,  on  whom  I  had  no  claims,  who  held  out  the 
hand  of  friendship  and  kindly  volunteered  to  assist  me  in  find- 
ing my  way  home,  in  a  way  to  avoid  expense  and  perhaps  to 
earn  something  on  the  route,  but  I  am  doomed  to  circumnavi- 
gate the  globe,  and  another  year  is  to  pass  before  I  reach  at 
last  my  home. 

And  here  I  cannot  but  remark  that  but  few  men  could  have 
borne  up  under  the  troubles  that  I  encountered,  which  none  but 
myself  and  my  God  can  ever  know ;  and  when  I  look  back  and 
reflect  how  many  to  my  knowledge,  with  scarce  a  semblance  of 
my  troubles,  gave  up  in  despair,  became  dissipated  and  died  a 
miserable  death,  I  thank  God  I  was  not  permitted  to  become  a 
drunkard. 

My  career  has  since  called  me  to  visit  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
to  traverse  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  the  China  Sea,  to  touch  at 
Singapore,  from  thence  to  retrace  my  way  back  to  China,  to 
spend  two  months  in  the  Celestial  Empire,  to  make  a  call  at 
Manila,  from  thence  to  thread  my  way  down  through  the  intri- 


i96  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

cate  passages  among  the  Eastern  Islands,  surrounded  by  dan- 
gers of  all  kinds,  and  at  length  to  emerge,  as  it  were,  out  of 
the  focus  of  the  eastern  hemisphere  into  the  open  sea,  safe  and 
in  good  health. 

How  can  I  be  sufficiently  thankful  to  God  for  my  preserva- 
tion? Heavenly  Father!  let  me  never  hereafter  repine  at  my  lot, 
but  trusting  to  Thy  guardian  care,  pursue  the  course  marked 
out  for  me  with  patience  and  perseverance,  believing  that  "Thou 
doest  all  things  well." 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

The  Indian  Ocean  is  that  vast  sheet  of  water  bounded  on 
the  north  and  east  by  Asia  and  the  Sunda  Isles,  south  by  the  Ant- 
arctic Circle,  west  by  the  Continent  of  Africa  and  the  south  At- 
lantic. Its  depth  from  north  to  south  is  four  thousand  miles, 
and  its  breadth  from  east  to  west  is  upwards  of  six  thousand. 
In  general  the  weather  is  fine  and  settled,  but  at  certain  periods 
it  is  subject  to  the  most  terrific  hurricanes.  Across  its  greatest 
breadth  lies  my  route. 

Tempests,  avaunt!  your  furious  spite  so  dire  is, 
'T would  play  the  deuce  with  th'  little  Arco  Iris. 

July  22. — A  mild  and  pleasant  day.  At  9  a.  m.  discovered 
a  ship  in  the  northwest,  with  the  American  ensign  at  the  peak, 
steering  so  as  to  cut  us  off  in  our  course.  At  11  she  was  made 
out  to  be  a  whale  ship.  I  laid  by  and  she  lowered  a  whale  boat, 
and  the  captain  came  on  board  the  Arco  Iris.  As  soon  as  he 
landed  on  my  deck  he  requested  me  to  fill  away  and  stand  on, 
saying  that  he  had  come  to  spend  the  day,  and  had  directed  his 
mate  to  follow  in  my  wake.  The  ship  was  the  "Popmanet  of 
Sippican;" — how  poetical. 

These  whalers  are  the  greatest  bores  afloat;  they  spend  so 
many  months  at  sea,  amongst  whales  and  blubber,  that  all  they 
can  talk  about  is  in  relation  to  their  profession.  This  gentle- 
man was  a  real  chatterbox,  and  during  his  visit  he  entertained 
me  with  a  lecture  on  whaling.  He  had  pursued  his  gigantic 
game  from  the  frozen  recesses  of  Hudson's  Bay  and  Davis' 
Straits  through  the  equinoctial  heats  of  the  tropics  to  the  frozen 
serpent  of  the  Antarctic,  had  been  to  Behring  Straits  and  Ocean- 
ica,  but  did  not  know  the  name  of  the  President. 
He  talked  of  finback  and  spermaceti,  of  whalebone  and 
blubber,  of  harpoons,  lances  and  spears,  of  boats  and  lines  and 
oars, — "There  she  blows  and  now  she  flounces,"  etc.,  but  when  I 
spoke  of  the  Mexican  War,  he  was  as  uninterested  as  though  I 

197 


I98  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

was  rehearsing  a  chapter  in  Epicurus.  At  dinner  I  gave  him 
roast  mutton  and  pigeon  pie,  which  reminded  him  of  porpoise 
meat  and  Cape  pigeons,  and  I  was  enlightened  upon  the  ex- 
quisite flavor  of  these  marine  delicacies.  Away  up  at  the  top- 
gallant crosstrees  of  his  ship  men  were  perched  in  crows'  nests 
looking  out  for  whales. 

The  Arco  Iris  is  the  tightest  vessel  that  I  ever  had  charge  of. 
She  sails  better  than  the  average  of  ships,  and  steers  beautifully, 
but  she  is  so  lively  during  a  gale  that  at  times  I  can  neither  stand, 
sit,  or  lie  still ;  at  such  times  I  am  obliged  to  turn  in,  and  drawing 
myself  up  in  the  shape  of  the  figure  4,  with  my  back  braced 
against  the  ship's  side,  and  my  knees  against  the  front  of  the 
berth,  worry  out  the  gale. 

The  southeast  trade  grows  faint  and  the  barometer  has  set- 
tled three  lines.  Hurried  in  all  light  sails  and  reduced  the  storm 
sails  to  the  smallest  compass.  Soon  streaks  of  lightning  were 
darting  in  zigzag  tracks  across  the  threatening  tempest,  and 
Heaven's  artillery  was  shaking  all  creation.  The  squall  ad- 
vanced rapidly  and  in  a  few  minutes  "the  windows  of  Heaven 
were  opened,"  and  a  cataract  came  down  that  settled  the  barque 
apparently  a  foot.  A  flash!  and  the  crack  of  a  pistol  and  I  was 
partially  blinded,  and  half -suffocated  with  a  sulphurous  stench. 
We  had  been  struck!  A  flash  of  lightning  seized  the  maintop- 
gallant  mast,  and  it  being  straight  grained,  tore  out  a  quarter 
section  from  the  trucks  to  the  heel,  but  it  left  no  trace  below  the 
crosstrees.  Probably  the  electric  fluid  seized  hold  of  the  chain 
topsail  tie  and  was  by  that  conducted  into  the  sea.  When  a  ship 
is  struck  by  lightning,  there  is  none  of  that  thundering  uproar 
reverberating  in  the  distance,  it  is  simply  the  snapping  of  a  per- 
cussion cap  and  all  is  over.  The  commotion  passed  away  to  the 
southeast  against  the  regular  trade ;  in  twenty  minutes  the  sun 
appeared  again,  the  breeze  came  back,  out  went  the  reefs,  the 
light  sails  spread  their  wings,  and  away  we  went,  wondering 
what  could  cause  such  a  phenomenon  as  a  meteor  tempest  ad- 
vancing with  such  velocity  against  a  regular  trade  wind  and 
settled  fine  weather. 


A  DELIGHTFUL  DAY  199 

When  tossed  about  on  the  lonely  deep, 
The  wind  or  light  or  fiercely  blowing, 

While  careless  shipmates  sweetly  sleep, 

My  thoughts  towards  home  are  often  flowing. 

I  think  upon  my  native  land, 

And  social  circles  peace  enjoying, 
While  death  lurks  round  on  every  hand 

And  all  his  arts  he  seems  employing. 

'Twixt  me  and  him,  there's  but  a  plank; 

If  that  should  start  by  the  ship's  straining, 
My  life's  not  worth  the  turn  of  a  crank, 

But  there's  no  use  of  my  complaining. 

A  wild,  erratic  thunderbolt 

Which  shoots  so  oft  in  the  Indian  Ocean 

May  straight  direct  its  liquid  molt 

'Gainst  my  poor  head — a  fearful  notion. 

Perhaps  a  raging  furious  fire 

May  chance  some  day  the  ship  envelop, 

Or  chance  an  angry  tempest  dire 

My  years'  and  days'  account  may  tell  up. 

What  foolish  thoughts !  The  plank  will  hold, 
The  bolt  shoot  wide,  the  fire  lie  dormant, 

And  as  I  range  the  seas  so  bold, 

A  fig  for  aught  I'll  care  the  storm  on't. 

In  Providence  I  still  will  trust, 

Where'er  I  may  be  called  to  roam, 
Though  tempests  o'er  my  head  may  burst, 

They  always  end  in  froth  and  foam. 

A  Delightful  Day. 

August  1,  1852. —  Latitude  19  degrees  south,  Longitude  70  de- 
grees east.  Last  night  the  sun  set  clear,  and  as  he  laved  his 
burning  limbs,  surrounded  by  a  radiance  of  inexpressible  mag- 
nificence, in  the  broad  Indian  Ocean,  the  moon,  exactly  at  her 


2oo  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

full,  just  rising  from  her  watery  couch,  blushed  modestly,  as  if 
ashamed  to  be  seen  in  her  undress.  She  had  but  just  fully  and 
fairly  arisen,  when  she  hid  herself  behind  a  friendly  intervening 
trade  wind  cloud,  such  a  cloud  as  is  never  seen,  except  within 
the  tropics.  Soon  its  upper  edge  became  illuminated,  first  red, 
then  orange,  golden,  and  then  silver,  and  Madam  Luna  emerged, 
arrayed  in  full  splendor,  prepared  to  reign  queen  of  the  loveliest 
of  nights,  seeming  to  say,  "Now,  look  at  me  and  take  your  sur- 
feit." I  did  look  at  her  and  surfeit,  occasionally  wandering  to 
catch  the  first  glimpses  of  her  sparkling  attendants  as  one  after 
another  they  twinkled  into  vision.  First  Venus,  her  right-hand 
maiden,  appeared  far  down  the  west,  and  just  without  the  burn- 
ing zodiacal  embrace  of  King  Sol;  next  Jupiter  peering  down 
from  the  zenith,  then  Sirius,  Orion  and  Aldebaran,  the  beautiful 
Southern  Cross,  Markab  and  Eridanus,  until  at  length  the  whole 
celestial  vault  became — 

"The  spangled  Heavens,  a  shining  frame." 

The  air  was  soft  and  balmy,  there  was  no  sea,  but  the  long 
undulating  swell,  peculiar  to  this  ocean,  seemed  like  the  heav- 
ing throes  of  material  nature's  bosom.  The  night  was  too  lovely 
to  think  of  sleep,  and  for  hours  I  sat,  watching  the  constellations 
and  contemplating  their  sublime  organization,  till  at  last  in  won- 
der and  amazement  at  the  great,  the  awful,  the  inconceivable 
majesty  of  the  Supreme  Being,  my  soul  subdued  by  a  sense  of  its 
own  insignificance,  breathed  silently  the  only  prayer  a  mortal 
could  appropriately  offer.  Father!  Thy  ways  are  just  and  right, 
Thy  Providence  is  over  all  and  Thou  canst  do  no  wrong.  Grant 
that  at  all  times,  and  under  all  circumstances,  I  may  be  able  to 
say  with  resignation.  Thy  holy  will  be  done. 

But  everything  must  have  an  end,  and  at  length  Apollo  hav- 
ing illuminated  more  than  half  a  world  since  last  he  set  with  us, 
began  to  shoot  his  rays  of  fire  above  the  eastern  horizon,  warn- 
ing night's  empress  that,  having  had  her  display,  'twas  time  for 
her  to  retire,  for  he  was  coming  to  show  what  he  could  do.  His 
preliminary  influence  became  broader  and  more  fervid,  until  at 
length  the  center  of  a  glowing  arch  of  burnished  gold,  the  glori- 
ous god  of  day  arose  in  the  full  splendor  of  his  ineffable  majesty. 
The  moon  stood  still  to  gaze,  then  left  the  field  abashed. 


A  DELIGHTFUL  DAY  201 

It  is  Sunday,  and  the  seamen  having  given  the  Arco  Iris  her 
morning's  ablution,  have  nothing  more  to  do  throughout  the  day, 
and  are  listlessly  lounging  at  their  end  of  the  ship,  some  mend- 
ing up  their  rips,  others  smoking  their  Calumet  of  peace,  while 
one  is  reading  to  the  rest.  It  is  nature's  holiday,  and  my  deck  is 
like  a  farmyard — geese,  ducks,  hens  and  pigeons,  sheep,  turtle, 
pigs  and  monkeys,  are  all  let  loose  to  frolic  and  gambol ;  besides, 
I  have  in  my  cabin  a  pair  of  beautiful  green  pigeons,  and  a  brace 
of  gently  cooing  turtle  doves  from  Java,  and  a  number  of  cages 
of  the  sprightly  little  Java  sparrows  are  hanging  round  about; 
every  creature  is  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  this  delightful  day. 

The  trades  are  blowing  fresh  and  steady,  the  sails  set  fairly 
to  the  breeze,  seem  like  a  band  of  brothers  exerting  their  united 
energy  in  urging  the  ship  forward  on  her  course  towards  home. 
The  helmsman,  stiff  and  steady  at  his  post,  has  his  watchful  eye 
alternating  from  sail  to  compass ;  the  steward,  the  only  one  on 
board  who  has  anything  to  do,  is  busy  with  his  daily  avocations ; 
the  officer  on  duty  is  patrolling  the  decks  in  measured  tread, 
never  deviating  a  barleycorn  in  the  length  of  his  steps,  and  every 
turn  embellished  with  a  Sandwich  Island  shuffle.  And  where 
am  I?    Here  on  my  quarter-deck,  an  autocrat. 

Towards  noon  a  speck  appeared  in  the  horizon  on  the  weather 
bow ;  it  grew  momentarily  taller  and  broader,  and  in  about  an 
hour  one  of  the  large,  new  modeled  American  clipper  ships 
dashed  by  upon  her  way  to  India.  There  cannot  be  a  more  en- 
nobling sight  than  a  well  appointed  ship  in  the  middle  of  an 
ocean.  She  is  the  acme  of  human  skill,  and  the  beautiful  appli- 
ances to  assist  the  navigator  in  threading  his  path  across  a  track- 
less ocean,  seem  like  the  scintillations  from  Omniscience,  illum- 
inating the  mind  of  man  at  the  moment  when  an  enlarging 
world  required  finger  posts  to  point  the  way  to  a  distant  conti- 
nent. 

But  I  am  wandering  from  my  subject — A  Delightful  Day. 
Seated  under  an  awning,  enjoying  the  luxury,  I  took  my  favorite 
author,  and,  turning  to  his  beautiful  account  of  the  creation, 
never  did  I  realize  its  beauties  so  fully  before. 


202  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

"First  in  the  east,  the  glorious  lamp  was  seen, 
Regent  of  day", — "and  all  th'  horizon  round 
Invested  with  bright  rays", — "less  bright  the  moon 
With  thousand,  thousand  lesser  lights  appeared, 
Spangling  the  hemisphere." 

He  closes  his  glowing  description  with  the  following  apos- 
trophe to  Heaven : 

"Open,  ye  everlasting  gates,  they  sung, 
Open,  ye  Heavens,  your  living  doors ;  let  in 
The  great  Creator  from  His  work  returned, 
His  six  days'  work — a  world!" 

Some  one  (I  think  Doctor  Young)  has  said:  "An  undevout 
astronomer  is  mad."  To  this  I  would  add  that  he  who  could 
pass  such  a  splendid  night,  followed  by  such  a  delightful  day, 
without  finding  his  thoughts  rising  through  nature  up  to  na- 
ture's God,  has  not  mind  enough  to  be  a  madman. 

August  7. — At  early  daylight  my  steward  called  me,  saying 
that  he  could  see  land.  As  Mauritius  (Isle  o'  France),  the  near- 
est land,  is  three  hundred  miles  distant,  I  paid  no  attention  to 
his  report,  but  when  I  came  out  on  deck  an  hour  afterwards,  he 
still  persisted  in  saying  that  he  could  see  land.  I  told  him  to 
point  to  it,  and  he  at  once  stretched  out  his  hand  in  the  direction 
of  the  Isle  o'  France.  Now,  I  should  not  have  recorded  this  triv- 
ial circumstance  if  it  did  not  remind  me  of  a  strange  matter 
that  took  place  at  this  same  Isle  o'  France  some  years  since.  I 
copy  from  the  "London  Nautical  Magazine,"  a  standard  work 
devoted  to  nautical  and  marine  science: 

"A  Frenchman  by  the  name  of  Botteneau,  who  had  charge 
of  the  signal  station  at  Port  Louis,  acquired  the  faculty  of  dis- 
covering ships  in  the  atmosphere  approaching  the  island  when 
they  were  yet  hundreds  of  miles  distant,  and  used  often  to  re- 
port their  approach  for  two  or  three  days  before  they  made  their 
appearance  to  other  eyes.  At  first  his  reports  were  treated  with 
ridicule,  but  the  constant  verification  of  his  predictions  aroused 
the  attention  of  the  government  and  a  committee  were  appointed 
to  investigate  the  matter,  who  were  obliged  to  report  favorably 


AFRICA  203 

for  Botteneau.  At  one  time  he  notified  the  government  that  a 
fleet  of  nine  ships  were  advancing,  though  yet  two  hundred  miles 
off.  This  caused  much  consternation,  as  an  invasion  was  at 
that  time  anticipated,  but  the  ships  did  not  arrive,  which  gave 
occasion  for  renewed  ridicule  to  Botteneau's  enemies,  although 
he  asserted  that  they  had  gone  on  past  the  island.  In  due  time 
it  became  known  that  a  fleet  of  nine  men-of-war  had  arrived  at 
Bombay,  which  passed  the  Isle  o'  France  at  the  time  Botteneau 
said  that  he  saw  them.  All  cavilers  were  now  silenced,  and  Bot- 
teneau went  home  to  France,  with  the  view  of  soliciting  a  pen- 
sion on  condition  of  his  explaining  his  discovery,  which  he 
called  'Nauscopia,'  and  which  he  asserted  that  he  could  teach 
to  others.  But  he  died  before  a  negotiation  could  be  had,  and 
his  secret  died  with  him." 

Now,  my  steward  is  an  illiterate  Chinese  and  knowing  no 
more  about  the  Mauritius  than  the  man  in  the  moon,  and  his  in- 
sisting so  positively  that  he  could  see  land,  seems  to  indicate 
that  he  had  a  nauscopic  revelation  a  la  Botteneau.  I  passed  a 
hundred  miles  to  the  southward  of  the  island. 

After  getting  to  the  westward  of  Madagascar  I  encountered 
a  severe  gale  from  southwest,  which  brought  us  down  to  close 
reefs.  It  continued  three  days,  and  drove  me  in  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  Africa  in  Latitude  25  degrees  south.  Here  the  coast 
is  sandy  and  barren  near  the  shore,  but  a  short  distance  inland 
it  rises  in  hummocks  crowned  with  dark  brown  shrubbery,  and 
in  the  distance  the  mountains  of  Caffraria  can  be  seen.  There 
were  no  signs  of  any  settlement,  no  boats  along  the  shore,  no 
habitations,  no  smoke  rising,  and  everything  appeared  desolate. 

This  part  of  Africa  is  inhabited  by  Caffres,  Bushmen  and 
Hottentots,  who  live  a  nomadic  life  without  houses,  not  cultivat- 
ing the  soil,  but  depending  for  subsistence  on  game  obtained  by 
the  bow  and  arrow,  and  when  that  fails,  on  locusts,  with  which 
this  region  abounds.  There  is  but  little  difference  in  these  races, 
the  Hottentots  being  nearer  to  the  colony  at  Cape  Town,  are 
slightly  elevated  above  the  other  tribes.  They  live  in  villages 
or  a  cluster  of  cone-shaped  huts  covered  with  mats,  with  only 
one  opening  which  serves  as  door,  window  and  chimney.  They 
are  abominably  filthy,  but  are  praised  by  travelers  for  kindness 


2o4  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

and  hospitality,  as  well  as  integrity,  chastity  and  mutual  affection. 
They  are  low  in  stature,  of  a  dark,  swarthy  complexion,  woolly 
hair,  thick  lips  and  high  cheek  bones. 

The  Bushmen  are  diminutive,  seldom  growing  to  more  than 
four  feet  high,  skin  dark  yellow ;  they  seem  a  step  between  a 
baboon  and  humanity.  The  Caffres  are  a  race  distinguished 
from  the  Bushmen  and  Hottentots,  as  well  as  from  the  negroes, 
by  a  larger  facial  angle,  the  head  more  like  a  European,  hair 
stiff  and  frizzly,  brown  complexion,  high  nose,  and  sparkling 
eyes.  They  are  supposed  to  be  descended  from  the  Arabians, 
still  retaining  many  Arab  words  in  their  dialect.  They  are  Mo- 
hammedans, and  practice  circumcision.  They  live  in  hordes,  each 
one  having  its  own  chief,  and  the  chieftainship  is  hereditary. 
They  are  a  vigorous  race  of  simple  habits,  they  live  principally 
on  curdled  milk,  and  their  only  drink  is  water.  They  are  of  a 
quiet,  peaceable  disposition,  but  when  roused  to  war,  they  dis- 
play great  courage  and  skill  in  the  use  of  arms,  which  are  the 
bow  and  arrow,  shield  and  club.  Before  they  attack  an  enemy 
they  send  heralds  to  warn  them  of  their  approach.  The  all- 
grasping  English,  issuing  from  Cape  Town,  have  stolen  a  large 
portion  of  their  territory,  and  this  primitive,  kind  and,  till  lately, 
happy  people  seem  destined  to  extinction. 

After  the  gale  subsided  I  had  a  moderate  spell  of  east  winds, 
and  coasted  along  the  south  east  quarter  of  Africa  keeping  from 
five  to  ten  miles  from  the  land.  I  found  a  strong  current  setting 
along  the  coast  to  the  southwest,  proving  the  correctness  of  the 
theory  that  in  the  rotation  of  the  earth  from  west  to  east,  the 
oceans  hang  back,  and  accumulate  on  the  eastern  sides  of  conti- 
nents. Thus  the  Indian  Ocean  becomes  piled  up  hereabouts  and 
here  the  only  escape  is  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  into 
the  Southern  Atlantic. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

On  the  28th  of  August,  I  was  favored  with  another  gale 
from  the  southwest,  and  lay  plunging  into  an  awful  sea  for  forty- 
eight  hours.  These  westerly  gales  are  frequent  in  this  region. 
Her  Majesty's  Battleship  Centaur  once  encountered  a  hurricane 
here,  and  during  the  night  the  ship  was  plunging  fearfully,  when 
some  of  the  guns  broke  loose,  the  huge  ship's  frame  groaned, 
she  sprung  a  leak  and  was  in  danger  of  foundering.  The  chap- 
lain was  so  much  alarmed  that  he  could  not  sleep,  and  spent 
the  night  on  deck,  holding  on  to  the  fiferail.  About  midnight 
the  boatswain  happening  to  pass  by,  the  chaplain  asked  him  what 
he  thought  of  it.  "Think,  parson,"  said  the  rough  son  of  Nep- 
tune, "why,  I  think  if  the  gale  don't  take  off,  we'll  all  be  in 
Heaven  afore  morning."  The  man  of  God  in  great  trepidation 
exclaimed,  "Oh,  my  good  fellow,  don't  say  that,  let  us  hope  and 
pray  for  better  things."  During  the  same  gale,  a  sailor  who  was 
a  Papist  was  observed  on  his  knees  praying  earnestly  to  the 
Virgin  Mary.  He  promised  her,  if  she  would  spare  him,  to  get 
safe  on  shore,  he  would  place  at  her  shrine  a  candle  as  big  as 
the  mainmast.  One  of  his  shipmates  overhearing  him,  took 
him  to  task  for  his  extravagance  and  asked  him  where  he  was 
to  get  so  large  a  candle.  "Hush,  Bill,  you  fool,  you,  hush ;  ye  see, 
lad,  I  must  promise  her  ladyship  well  now,  but  when  I  come 
ashore  I'll  put  her  off  with  a  six  in  the  pound." 

On  the  first  day  of  September,  I  succeeded  in  turning  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  When  Vasco  Da  Gama  in  the  fifteenth 
century  first  doubled  this  extremity  of  Africa,  he  called  it  "El 
Cabo  de  todas  tormentos" — cape  of  all  torments,  probably  from 
having  experienced  a  succession  of  tempests  for  which  this  re- 
gion is  famous,  and  which  his  small  barque  was  but  poorly  fitted 
to  encounter.  The  land  hereabouts  is  mountainous.  Some  part 
of  it  resembles  in  formation  a  huge  lion  recumbent ;  one  elevation 
is  called  the  lion's  head,  another  the  lion's  rump.  The  lion's 
head  is  sometimes  enveloped  in  a  white  cloud,  with  its  lower 

206 


2o6  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

edge  well  defined  and  perfectly  level;  this  the  people  of  Cape 
Town  call  "The  Devil's  Table  Cloth,"  as  it  is  a  sure  prognostic 
of  tempestuous  weather.  Whenever  his  Satanic  Majesty  be- 
gins to  spread  his  cloth  the  port  captain  signalizes  to  ships  ap- 
proaching to  keep  off,  and  to  those  in  the  road  to  send  down 
yards,  house  topgallant  masts  and  prepare  for  the  worst. 

In  1846  I  stopped  in  Cape  Town  with  the  ship  Aragon  on  a 
voyage  to  Calcutta,  to  land  a  portion  of  her  cargo.  I  remained 
there  ten  days.  The  harbor  is  an  open  roadstead  in  the  form 
of  a  semi-circle  facing  to  the  northwest.  The  town  presents  a 
pleasing  appearance  from  the  ship;  in  the  eastern  section  is  a 
beautiful  drive  and  promenade,  with  rows  of  trees  all  standing 
at  an  inclination  of  thirty  degrees  to  the  northeast,  the  effect  of 
the  frequent  southwest  gales. 

The  inhabitants  of  Cape  Town  are  Dutch  (the  descendants 
of  the  old  colonists)  and  English  (whom  the  Dutch  look  upon 
as  intruders).  There  is  but  little  intercourse  between  the  two 
races  and  that  little  is  not  of  a  friendly  nature.  Also  there  are 
negroes,  Hottentots  and  dogs,  the  latter  by  far  the  most  numer- 
ous. "Buffon"  might  here  have  enlarged  his  genealogical  table 
of  the  canine  species,  and  Linnaeus  would  have  found  tails  turn- 
ing to  the  right  or  left,  straight  tails  or  no  tail  at  all.  Mastiffs, 
bulldogs,  spaniels,  terriers,  poodles  and  hounds  of  every  variety 
throng  the  streets  of  Cape  Town.  Here  also  the  anthropologist 
may  trace  out  the  gradations  of  the  biped  race,  ascending  from 
the  monkey  up  through  the  ape,  the  baboon,  the  man-o'-the 
woods,  the  Bushman,  the  Caffre,  the  Hottentot,  the  full-blown 
Congo,  the  Moor,  and  the  Andalusian,  to  the  Teuton  and  the 
Anglo-Saxon, — and  reformers  may  here  find  a  field  for  extending 
their  philanthropy  down  backward  through  the  same  gradations. 

Fruit  and  vegetables  are  abundant  and  very  fine,  the  beef 
and  mutton  are  excellent,  particularly  the  latter,  and  of  a  Cape 
Town  sheep  the  choicest  morsel  is  the  tail.  Cape  Town  is  a  free 
port.  The  celebrated  Constantia  wine  is  obtained  at  Cape  Town ; 
it  is  the  produce  of  a  small  farm  about  ten  miles  from  town. 
Most  strangers  make  a  point  of  paying  a  visit  to  the  old  Dutch 
proprietor.  I  made  one  of  a  party  to  ride  out  to  Constantia, 
the  name  of  the  vineyard.     There  are  about  one  hundred  acres, 


ST.   HELENA  207 

all  in  vines.  The  adjoining  estates  do  not  grow  the  same  species 
of  grape.  The  old  Hollander  took  much  interest  in  showing  us 
through  his  vaults  and  proving  the  taste  of  the  several  vin- 
tages, which  he  said  ran  back  for  twenty  years.  He  has  no  oc- 
casion to  export  his  wines  for  market,  all  of  it  being  taken  by 
customers  on  the  spot.  We  each  purchased  a  small  cask  at  $4.00 
a  gallon,  and  the  old  Boer  wished  us  "God  speed." 

After  getting  to  the  westward  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  I 
had  light  airs  from  the  southwest  for  three  days,  then  the  south- 
east trades  set  in  moderately,  with  the  sea  smooth  as  glass.  As 
my  course  is  now  northwest,  we  are  running  straight  before  it 
with  all  the  studdingsails  set  on  both  sides.  This  is  a  dull, 
monotonous  way  of  sailing — no  occasion  to  start  a  rope  on  board 
for  weeks.  As  I  go  to  bed,  so  I  get  up  again — no  variety;  a 
gale  would  be  acceptable  by  way  of  change. 

On  the  morning  of  the  17th  of  September  a  dim,  darkish 
bank  is  discovered  in  the  northwest,  directly  ahead.  As  we 
crawl  along  in  our  snail-like  pace  it  grows  more  and  more.  It 
is  the  island  of  St.  Helena.  At  noon  we  can  trace  its  rock- 
bound,  perpendicular  angles,  and  at  4  p.  m.  we  turned  the  north- 
east point  and  opened  out  the  valley  of  James  Town;  at  5  p.  m. 
dropped  anchor  in  thirty  fathoms  of  water.  The  American  Con- 
sul was  alongside  in  a  jiffy  and  offered  me  a  seat  in  his  barge; 
went  on  shore  and  engaged  a  room  in  the  London  Hotel,  had  a 
fine  supper  of  mutton  chops  and  fried  eggs,  and  retired  to  a 
clean  bed.  Oh !  what  a  relief  from  my  prison  life  on  board ! 
I  am  heart-sick  with  looking  at  the  same  set  of  Jack  Nastyfaces 
for  three  weary  months,  and  my  mate  is  a  disgusting  rowdy  with 
whom  I  cannot  be  familiar. 

St.  Helena,  the  prison  house  of  Napoleon  Buonaparte,  the 
greatest  scourge  of  modern  times !  Many  people  censure  the 
English  Government  for  confining  him  to  this  spot.  But  I  think 
they  were  right  in  doing  so.  The  peace  of  the  world  required 
that  he  should  be  placed  beyond  the  possibility  of  doing  any 
more  harm.  He  who,  to  gratify  his  own  insatiable  avarice,  had 
sacrificed  the  lives  of  millions,  and  made  other  millions  miser- 
able, and  had  treacherously  broken  his  faith  by  returning  from 
Elba  to  set  the  world  again  in  arms,  ought  to  have  expected 


2o8  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

no  better  treatment,  and  this  island  offered  the  best  guarantee 
for  his  safekeeping  consistent  with  his  personal  comfort.  Buona- 
parte was  a  great  man  and  a  talented  general,  and  had  he  taken 
Washington  for  his  model,  he  would  have  shone  forth  as  a 
bright  particular  star  in  the  galaxy  of  the  world's  heroes,  but 
I  look  upon  him  in  the  same  light  that  I  do  an  earthquake  or  a 
pestilence — as  an .  instrument  in  the  hands  of  an  overruling  Prov- 
idence, to  scourge  the  world,  for  a  wise  though,  to  us,  inscrutable 
purpose. 

The  island  of  St.  Helena  lies  in  the  South  Atlantic  Ocean 
near  the  middle,  being  twelve  hundred  miles  from  the  nearest 
land,  which  is  the  coast  of  Africa.  Like  all  other  islands  stand- 
ing out  in  the  ocean  at  a  considerable  distance  from  any  con- 
tinent, it  is  of  volcanic  origin,  and  shows  evident  marks  of  an 
eruption  far  beyond  the  reach  of  history.  The  hills,  which  rise 
abruptly  to  the  height  of  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  feet,  are  com- 
posed entirely  of  lava;  the  different  strata  are  everywhere  seen 
at  different  degrees  of  inclination.  In  fact,  evidences  of  a  gen- 
eral eruption  are  everywhere  manifest,  else  how  are  we  to  ac- 
count for  those  vast  deposits  of  marine  substances  found  on 
elevated  ranges,  in  the  interior  of  a  continent,  or  those  immense 
regions  of  coal  of  vegetable  formation  lying  many  fathoms  down 
beneath  the  surface  ?  May  not  the  chaotic  mass  from  which  this 
earth  was  formed,  according  to  the  Mosaic  history,  have  been  the 
result  of  a  grand  explosion,  whirling  about  "without  form  and 
void"  until  it  gradually  acquired  its  present  form  by  the  all- 
powerful  force  of  gravitation,  and  cooled  into  its  present  shape, 
and  the  progenitors  of  its  present  inhabitants  formed  for  the 
occasion?  We  know  that  the  earth  contains  within  itself  the  ele- 
ments of  such  an  eruption  and  its  volcanoes  are  its  grand  safety 
valves.  It  is  a  vast  ball  of  combustible  materials  encrusted  with 
a  covering  of  earth  and  water  and  liable  at  any  moment  to  an- 
other explosion  whenever  it  may  please  the  Almighty  Architect 
to  apply  the  match.  May  it  not  be  the  purpose  of  Eternal  Wis- 
dom to  withhold  the  match  till  a  population  too  redundant  to 
find  sustenance  may  require  a  new  formation? 

The  valleys  are  fertile,  and  although  within  the  tropics,  yet 
the  climate  is  temperate  and  the  fruits  of  both  the  tropics  and 


u 


o 


11 

oo    1 


^ 


NAPOLEON  209 

temperate  zones  grow  in  great  abundance.  Immediately  in  the 
rear  of  the  London  hotel  an  abrupt  hill  rises  at  an  inclination 
of  twenty  degrees  from  the  perpendicular  to  the  height  of  thir- 
teen hundred  feet;  it  is  ascended  by  a  series  of  eighteen  hun- 
dred steps  cut  in  the  lava.  At  the  summit  is  the  signal  station, 
to  notify  the  approach  of  ships,  and  here  the  morning  and  even- 
ing gun  is  let  off  to  salute  the  god  of  day  on  his  first  appear- 
ance and  departure. 

On  the  1 8th  dined  with  Wm.  Carroll,  Esq.,  American  Con- 
sul. At  his  table  were  some  half  a  dozen  whaling  captains  who 
had  called  in  here  to  refresh,  and  seemed  in  no  hurry  to  leave. 
Of  course,  the  conversation  was  all  about  finbacks  and  sperma- 
ceti, harpoons,  lances,  bouts  and  blubber.  Mr.  Carroll  keeps  an 
open  house  for  these  gentlemen,  and  they  are  not  slow  to  avail 
themselves  of  his  kindness,  but  he  compensates  himself  in  the 
exorbitant  prices  he  charges  for  their  supplies.  He  charged 
me  $25  for  a  barrel  of  musty  flour. 

Fifteen  years  ago  I  stopped  at  this  place  on  my  return  voy- 
age from  Calcutta,  having  with  me  half  a  dozen  young  gentle- 
men, or  rather  rich  men's  sons,  as  passengers.  We  rode  out 
to  Longwood,  the  residence  of  the  great  Exile.  It  is  a  plateau 
upon  elevated  ground  at  the  northeast  end  of  the  island.  He 
occupied  the  farmhouse,  although  a  very  comfortable  palace 
was  built  for  him,  but  he  refused  to  live  in  it,  and  died  in  a 
room  which  is  now  used  as  a  granary,  and  is  exceedingly  filthy. 
The  walls  and  even  the  floor  are  completely  covered  with  auto- 
graphs, principally  French,  with  not  a  few  American. 

In  returning  we  called  at  the  dell  where  lay  the  mortal  re- 
mains of  the  great  man.  It  is  a  peaceful  nook,  about  two  rods 
are  enclosed  in  a  wooden  railing,  and  the  grave  is  enclosed  in  a 
neat  iron  cemetery.  A  brown  stone  without  inscription  covers 
the  grave,  and  four  weeping  willows  hang  over  it  in  solemn 
silence.  An  invalid  soldier,  one  of  Napoleon's  own,  was  privi- 
leged to  guard  this  sacred  spot.  He  was  as  garrulous  as  any 
other  Frenchman,  and  for  the  some  thousandth  time  he  recited 
Austerlitz  and  Waterloo.  My  young  chaps  were  very  desirous 
of  obtaining  some  twigs  from  the  willows,  but  the  old  guards- 
man expressed  much  horror  at  the  sacrilege,  and  said  that  it 


2io  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

would  cost  him  the  loss  of  his  situation  to  allow  these  sacred 
trees  to  be  mutilated.  He  was  deaf  to  all  entreaties  till  I  whis- 
pered to  one  of  them  to  butter  his  fingers.  He  slyly  slipped  a 
dollar  into  the  keeper's  hand,  and  suddenly  he  had  occasion  to 
go  to  his  lodge,  and  they  each  got  as  many  twigs  as  they 
wished. 

When  I  returned  to  my  vessel  I  found  the  crew  in  a  state 
of  mutiny.  The  mate  is  one  of  your  marine  tyrants  who  de- 
light in  abusing  sailors.  I  have  repeatedly  cautioned  him  in 
this  matter ;  a  portion  of  my  crew  are  Malays,  who  never  forget 
or  forgive  a  blow.  They  will  watch  months  and  years  for  an 
opportunity  for  revenge.  While  I  was  in  Manila  a  country  ship 
officered  by  Englishmen  and  manned  by  Malays,  trading  from 
Bombay  to  Canton,  anchored  in  a  calm  on  the  coast  of  Siam 
for  a  night,  and  while  the  captain  and  officers,  except  one  on 
watch,  were  asleep  the  crew,  who  had  been  savagely  treated, 
massacred  them  all  and  abandoned  the  ship.  In  order  to  avoid 
the  risk  of  a  like  fate  I  thought  best  to  discharge  my  Malays 
and  ship  Englishmen.    I  ought  to  have  discharged  the  mate. 

My  rest  was  disturbed  last  night  by  a  Dutchman  rushing  into 
my  cabin  at  about  n  o'clock,  exclaiming,  "Where  ish  te  cap- 
tain? Mine  Got,  vere  ish  te  captain?"  Apprehending  something 
serious  I  was  not  long  in  turning  out,  and  found  one  of  my 
German  passengers  in  great  tribulation.  There  was  a  barrel  of 
chlorine  kept  near  the  transom;  it  was  used  for  the  purpose  of 
purification;  it  had  the  appearance  and  somewhat  the  flavour 
of  gin.  The  Dutchman  had  long  eyed  it  with  a  wistful  look, 
supposing  it  to  be  his  favorite  Schiedam,  and  last  evening  he  sat 
up  till  the  other  passengers  had  retired,  when  he  stealthily  drew 
off  half  a  mugfull,  and  hastily  drank  it,  fearing  detection.  A 
woman,  who  was  lying  awake,  saw  it,  and  exclaimed,  "What 
are  you  doing?  Why,  that  is  a  deadly  poison."  Mynheer  rushed 
up  the  ladder,  and  broke  into  my  cabin  like  a  madman.  "Ah, 
mine  teer  captain,"  said  he,  "I'm  pisent,  I  shall  be  ted,  pimeby, 
tirectly  pefore  mornin'."  I  thought  it  best  to  favor  his  delu- 
sion for  future  effect,  so  I  expressed  apprehension  and  turned 
him  over  to  the  surgeon,  who  poured  into  Mynheer's  not  un- 
willing mouth  his  nauseous  emetics,  his  cathartics,  diarrhoetics 


ASCENSION  211 

and  saporifics,  and  purged  the  patient  into  a  comatose  forget- 
fulness  of  his  alarm.  After  about  ten  hours'  stupor,  Mynheer 
"Gottlieb  Pfeffelsbergeffer"  came  out  all  right,  cured  of  his  long- 
ing for  Schiedam. 

Started  again  on  the  19th,  fanned  along  before  the  wind, 
and  on  the  25th  passed  the  latitude  of  Ascension,  another  vol- 
canic island  similar  to  St.  Helena,  belonging  to  England,  now 
used  as  a  penal  settlement.  It  abounds  with  goats  and  turtle. 
The  English  East  India  ships  resort  here  on  their  homeward  voy- 
age for  a  supply  of  these.  A  few  years  since  a  Calcutta  trader 
took  on  board  a  large  number  of  turtle,  and  one  very  large  fel- 
low was  kept  alive  till  the  ship  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Eng- 
lish Channel,  when  the  captain  marked  the  shell  on  the  back 
by  cutting  the  name  of  his  ship,  the  date  and  place,  and  the 
British  Arms,  and  set  the  old  chap  adrift.  On  his  next 
voyage  he  stopped  again  at  Ascension,  and  took  in  a  fresh  sup- 
ply of  turtle,  and  among  them  found  one  marked  as  before 
stated.  Instinct,  nature's  pilot,  had  taught  him  the  way  back  to 
Ascension. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

On  nie  afternoon  of  the  2nd  of  October  I  crossed  the  Equa- 
tor for  the  fifth  time  since  I  left  home.  At  3  h.  30  m.  I  was 
exactly  equidistant  from  the  two  poles  of  the  earth.  Wonder 
how  large  these  poles  are.  They  must  be  poles  of  some  magni- 
tude to  sustain  this  great  ball. 

In  reflecting  upon  the  polar  regions,  some  curious  thoughts 
are  suggested.  Let  us  suppose  it  possible  for  an  individual  to 
reach  the  North  Pole  and  stand  exactly  on  the  pivot.  He  would 
then,  after  an  interval  of  darkness  of  six  months'  duration,  see 
a  bright  speck  appear  in  the  horizon  and  immediately  disappear, 
but  whether  east  or  west  he  could  not  tell.  After  an  interval 
it  would  appear  again,  larger  and  continue  longer.  The  speck 
would  continue  to  rise  as  it  wound  round  from  his  left  to  his 
right,  and  in  about  forty  hours'  of  our  time  he  would  see  the 
full  orb  of  day,  continually  increasing  in  elevation,  till  it  reached 
the  altitude  of  25  deg.  28  min.  There  the  sun  would  remain 
a  length  of  time  unknown  to  our  pivot  man,  and  then  begin  to 
descend  slowly  at  first,  but  more  rapidly  as  it  approached  the 
horizon,  finally  sinking  again,  and  leaving  our  solitary  fixture  in 
another  night  of  half  a  year,  though  he  would  take  no  note  of 
time,  for  the  source  of  time  would  be  always  on  the  meridian, 
and  it  would  be  either  a  perpetual  noon  or  unchanging  mid- 
night. Ask  him  to  point  in  the  direction  of  London,  he  could 
only  say  that  it  is  south ;  then  ask  him  how  Washington  bears, 
and  again  he  answers  south ;  now  tell  him  to  point  south,  it  is 
everywhere,  and  he  can  only  point  to  his  feet.  If  there  is  any 
wind  there  it  must  come  from  the  south,  for  he  knows  no  other 
point  except  the  north,  which  is  directly  over  his  head.  While 
the  inhabitants  of  the  equatorial  regions  are  travelling  to  the 
eastward  at  the  rate  of  nearly  one  thousand  miles  an  hour,  he 
remains  stationary,  only  turning  once  round  in  twenty-four 
hours. 

If  the  vital  power  of  the  air  depends  upon  its  being  contin- 

212 


FORCES    OF   NATURE  213 

ually  in  motion,  it  seems  probable  that  here  is  the  great  labora- 
tory where  the  oxygen  and  hydrogen  are  mixed  and  circulated 
by  the  centrifugal  force  of  the  earth's  diurnal  revolution,  and 
that  if  it  were  possible  to  reach  the  pole  no  being  could  exist 
there.  Here  we  see  the  wisdom  of  the  Creator  in  enclosing  this 
interesting  pivot  in  an  impenetrable  barrier  of  ice,  so  that  all 
the  daring  attempts  of  adventurous  navigators  to  approach  it 
have  end  in  "Cui  bono." 

The  floating  mountains  of  ice  met  with  between  Newfound- 
land and  Europe  are  generally  thought  to  be  portions  of  this  eter- 
nal barrier,  the  accumulation  of  ages,  broken  off  by  their  own 
vast  weight,  and  floating  down  yearly  to  warmer  regions.  It 
seems  to  me  that  this  theory  is  not  satisfactory.  If  they  have 
been  centuries  in  accumulating,  why  is  it  that  they  are  met 
with  only  in  spring  and  summer  and  not  in  autumn?  If  it 
takes  ages  to  congeal  such  masses,  when  such  a  number  of  them 
as  are  sometimes  seen  at  sea,  leave  the  place  of  their  formation, 
other  ages  would  be  required  for  a  new  formation,  but  they  are 
seen  yearly.  Besides,  where  is  the  region  where  ice  can  be  found 
three  hundred  fathom  thick,  within  the  vicinity  of  land? 

It  seems  to  me  more  reasonable  that  they  are  the  product 
of  the  preceding  season,  a  field  of  snow  and  frozen  rain  in  au- 
tumn in  Davis  Strait  and  the  Greenland  Sea,  sweeping  down 
south  with  the  polar  current,  continually  increased  in  height 
with  alternate  layers  of  snow  and  rain  by  the  constant  storms 
of  the  succeeding  winter,  until  by  the  time  they  reach  the  coast  of 
Labrador  they  become  mountains  hundreds  of  feet  above  the  sea. 
Afterward,  as  they  reach  the  parallel  of  Newfoundland,  they 
begin  to  crumble  and  crack,  the  strata  of  snow  and  ice  separate, 
the  latter  slide  off  in  glaciers,  covering  all  the  intervening  sea 
with  field  ice,  until  finally  the  offshoot  from  the  Gulf  Stream 
makes  a  finish  of  them. 

Several  years  since,  on  a  voyage  to  England,  I  became  en- 
closed among  a  large  number  of  icebergs,  and  was  five  days  in 
getting  clear  of  the  field  ice,  on  which  were  a  great  number  of 
seals  in  a  state  of  torpidity.  I  shot  one,  and  he  was  hauled 
on  board  by  a  noose  thrown  over  his  head  by  a  man  in  the 
chains.     I  passed  within  twenty  fathoms  of  one  monster  berg 


2i4  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

that  towered  high  above  the  ship's  mast,  and  sent  its  spurs  out 
under  the  keel  many  fathoms.  My  ship  ran  at  the  rate  of  five 
miles  an  hour  till  sunset,  when  the  berg  was  still  plainly  seen 
from  deck,  proving  that  it  must  have  been  five  hundred  feet 
high.  I  once  saw  the  process  of  dissolution.  The  sun's  rays 
and  the  warm  sea  had  dissolved  the  cement,  and  one  of  these 
monsters  crumbled  and  fell  to  pieces  in  an  indescribable  uproar. 
But  my  theory  is  not  altogether  satisfactory.  May  it  not  be 
that  the  earth  revolves  upon  an  axis  of  solid  ice? 

Many  years  ago,  before  the  ice  king  began  to  ship  his  com- 
modity to  the  East  and  the  West  Indies,  an  enterprising  ship- 
master chartered  an  old  lumber  brig  at  Castine  and  proceeded 
to  the  ice  region  to  load  her  for  the  West  Indies.  He  lashed 
the  vessel  to  an  iceberg  and  began  to  load,  but  while  cutting 
away  the  mountain  inclined  and  its  spurs  came  up  under  the 
keel  and  nearly  capsized  his  brig,  and  set  her  to  leaking,  so 
that  he  abandoned  his  voyage  and  returned  to  Castine,  where  he 
attempted  to  evade  the  charter  by  contending  that  the  vessel  was 
not  seaworthy.    Icebergs  are  entirely  fresh. 

September  27th. — This  morning  the  sun  rose  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  vermilion  and  the  windward  side  of  my  sails  and  rig- 
ging look  as  if  painted  with  brick  dust,  piles  of  which  may  be 
swept  up  on  the  deck  after  short  intervals.  It  is  an  impalpable 
powder  wafted  from  the  Coast  of  Africa  fifteen  hundred  miles 
distant  by  the  trade  winds. 

October  7th. — I  am  now  in  the  North  Atlantic.  I  was  six 
days  working  my  way  across  the  region  of  calms  and  squalls, 
and  on  the  evening  of  the  8th  I  got  the  first  glimpse  of  the  North 
Star,  a  very  welcome  sight.  The  southern  constellation  answer- 
ing to  the  North  Polar  Bear  is  composed  of  four  stars  of  the 
second  magnitude,  so  placed  as  to  form  a  cross,  the  shaft  point- 
ing directly  to  the  south  pole.  It  is  a  very  beautiful  constella- 
tion, affording  the  mariner  a  convenient  time  indicator. 

Star  of  the  North,  thy  ray  I  greet. 

Thou  shin'st  at  home,  on  kindred  dear; 
That  kindred  soon  I  hope  to  meet, 

My  way-worn  weary  soul  to  cheer. 


NORTH  ATLANTIC  215 

Hope !  Boon  of  Heaven,  what  were  life, 
If  thou  were't  stricken  from  its  roll? 

Cold  doubt  and  turmoil,  toil  and  strife, 

Of  man's  dark  voyage  would  be  the  whole. 

Full  fifty  thousand  miles  I've  sailed 

Since  last  I  parted  from  my  home. 
My  plans  for  fortune  all  have  failed, 

But  still  I'll  hope  for  time  to  come. 

Great  God !   in  wisdom  Thou  dost  rule, 

Oh,  may  I  ne'er  that  fact  forget, 
But  taught  in  resignation's  school, 

Await  my  time,  and  struggle  yet. 

Sunday,  October  10th. — My  sea  stock  of  fresh  meat  has  now 
dwindled  down  to  two  pigs,  half  a  dozen  ducks,  and  one  lone 
goose,  or  rather  gander.  This  last  is  a  curious  old  chap.  He 
goes  marching  about  the  deck  as  stately  as  a  lieutenant,  and  as 
stiff  as  a  midshipman.  At  meal  times  he  is  sure  to  place  him- 
self in  the  doorway  of  my  dining  room,  and  stretching  up  his 
long  neck  he  fixes  his  gaze  on  my  table  as  steadily  as  a  deacon 
on  communion  day,  occasionally  reminding  me  by  his  single 
"Yarnk"  that  he  is  waiting  for  the  crumbs.  It  is  my  practice 
to  have  the  ship's  bell  struck  only  at  the  end  of  every  two  hours, 
and  my  gander  has  lately  acquired  the  habit  of  joining  in  con- 
cert ;  for  instance,  when  four  bells  are  struck,  let  him  be  in  what 
part  of  the  ship  he  may,  by  day  or  by  night,  he  is  sure  to  strike 
in  immediately  in  concert,  with  his  "Yarnk,  yarnk — yarnk, 
yarnk."  He  must  be  a  lineal  descendant  from  the  goose  told  of 
in  Addison's  "Spectator,"  that  used  to  act  the  part  of  watchman 
in  London. 

October  15th. — Latitude  21  deg.  N.,  Longitude  47  deg.  W., 
saw  a  lot  of  floating  lumber  and  shingles,  probably  some  lumber 
drogher  from  the  State  of  Maine  has  recently  passed  here  and 
lost  his  deckload.  These  gentlemen  do  not  use  chronometers, 
and  to  guard  against  falling  to  leeward  of  their  port  in  running 
for  a  West  India  island  they  steer  so  as  to  strike  the  trade  winds 
several  degrees  of  longitude  to  the  eastward  of  the  islands,  and 


2i6  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

getting  into  the  latitude  of  the  island,  as  they  are  bound  to,  they 
square  away  and  run  down  sometimes  in  a  week. 

Chronometers  are  now  in  almost  universal  use.  It  is  a  watch 
so  constructed  as  to  run  with  perfect  accuracy.  It  is  compared 
with  an  astronomical  clock  when  leaving  port,  and  is  never 
suffered  to  run  down,  and  the  hands  are  never  touched.  Of 
course,  it  always  indicates  the  time  at  the  place  at  which  it  was 
set.  But  comparing  it  at  any  moment  with  the  time  obtained 
by  the  sun,  and  turning  the  difference  into  degrees  at  the  rate 
of  fifteen  degrees  to  one  hour  of  time,  we  find  exactly  how  much 
we  are  eastward  or  westward  of  our  port.  For  instance,  sup- 
pose on  leaving  Boston  my  chronometer  is  set  in  unison  with 
Mr.  Bond's  or  Mr.  Willard's  standard  clock,  then  after  being  at 
sea  a  few  days  I  find  that  the  sun  shows  twelve  o'clock,  and 
looking  at  the  chronometer  I  find  it  marks  only  eleven  o'clock, 
I  know  instantly  that  I  am  15  degrees  east  of  Boston,  and  that 
it  will  take  the  sun  just  one  hour  to  reach  the  meridian  of  Bos- 
ton. Or  on  leaving  Liverpool,  I  find  it  is  one  o'clock  by  the 
chronometer,  when  the  sun  comes  on  the  meridian  at  the  ship, 
then  I  know  I  am  fifteen  degrees  west  of  Liverpool,  and  that 
the  sun  passed  the  meridian  there  one  hour  previously.  The 
English  Government  have  given  two  hundred  thousand  dollars 
in  bonus  to  watchmakers  to  stimulate  them  in  perfecting  chro- 
nometry. 

Nothing  material  occurred  for  the  remainder  of  the  voyage, 
had  a  fair  run  through  the  northeast  trades  and  passed  the 
Bermuda  Isles  on  the  19th  of  October. 

The  Bermuda  Isles  belong,  of  course,  to  England.  Great 
and  small  they  number  by  hundreds,  and  on  the  north  and  east 
sides  they  are  surrounded  by  reefs  extending  from  two  to  four 
leagues  from  the  shore.  They  lie  in  the  latitude  of  Charleston, 
S.  C,  and  distant  about  eight  hundred  miles.  The  climate  is 
mild  and  uniform,  there  is  never  any  frost,  and  vegetation  is 
constantly  advancing  towards  maturity,  and  the  trees  are  always 
in  verdure,  the  leaves  only  falling  to  make  way  for  another 
generation,  and  two  crops  of  the  cereals  are  gathered  in  one 
year.  It  is  a  remarkably  healthy  region  and  a  fine  place  for 
consumptives  to  linger  a  few  years  longer. 


THE    BERMUDA   ISLES  217 

Bermuda  is  chiefly  valuable  to  the  mother  country  as  a  naval 
rendezvous  with  Halifax  in  the  north  and  Nassau  in  the  south. 
They  form  a  cordon  threatening  to  the  United  States,  but  the 
time  is  fast  approaching  when  American  ingenuity  will  set  Mr. 
Bull  with  all  his  cordons  and  fleets  at  defiance,  and  if  he  ven- 
tures upon  a  war  with  us  he  will  not  get  out  of  it  without  losing 
his  colonies  on  our  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

Just  after  losing  sight  of  Bermuda  I  fell  in  with  an  English 
brig  from  Porto  Rico  bound  to  these  islands.  She  had  been 
forty-three  days  at  sea,  ten  of  which  she  had  been  cruising  about 
in  this  latitude  in  search  of  her  place  of  destination,  and  was 
in  distress  for  want  of  water  and  provisions.  I  supplied  her 
wants  and  gave  the  captain  his  course  and  distance,  when  he 
pulled  away  without  so  much  as  saying  "I  thank  ye."  I  have 
sometimes  heard  it  said  that  it  was  the  duty  of  the  shipmaster 
to  supply  the  wants  of  a  brother  seaman  without  charge,  but 
I  do  not  see  the  propriety  of  this.  Certainly  he  must  be  a  mon- 
ster who  would  make  a  higgling  bargain  in  such  a  case,  but  as 
he  has  no  right  to  give  away  the  property  of  his  owners,  it  is 
the  duty  of  the  one  relieved  to  offer  a  fair  compensation,  or, 
if  he  has  not  the  means  at  hand,  to  give  a  receipt  and  draft 
upon  his  owners  or  agent. 

Three  years  since,  on  a  return  voyage  from  Europe,  a  sea 
had  flooded  my  cabin  and  spoiled  the  bread,  and  on  the  bank 
of  Newfoundland  I  fell  in  with  a  British  ship  bound  to  Quebec. 
1  sent  my  mate  on  board  of  her  for  a  supply,  and  gave  him 
three  sovereigns  to  pay  for  it.  He  brought  back  a  sack  of 
flinty  navy  bread,  but  no  change;  he  said  the  captain  took  the 
three  pounds  for  payment,  but  I  cannot  think  so  meanly  of  a 
brother  shipmaster.  I  think  it  more  likely  that  the  mate  thought 
it  too  good  a  chance  to  let  slip,  and  pocketed  the  gold. 

20th,  2 1  st  and  22nd  of  October. — Strong  northwest  gales, 
during  which  I  could  make  no  progress,  and  never  did  a  head 
wind  seem  so  tedious  and  irksome.  After  this  one  day's  calm, 
and  on  the  24th  the  wind  set  in  light  from  the  eastward.  On 
the  27th  the  temperature  of  the  sea  rose  suddenly  to  80  deg. 
Fahrenheit,  a  sure  indication  that  we  were  in  the  Gulf  Stream. 
This  is  one  of  the  phenomena  of  the  ocean.    If  you  take  a  ter- 


2i8  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

restrial  globe  and  trace  out  the  configuration  of  the  north  and 
south  Atlantic  Oceans,  you  will  see  that  the  Equator  crosses  the 
northern  part  of  the  empire  of  Brazil,  and  that  the  coast  trends 
in  a  northwesterly  direction.  Now  I  have  before  remarked 
that  in  the  revolution  of  the  earth  from  west  to  east  the  water 
near  the  equator,  where  the  velocity  is  greatest  (nearly  a  thou- 
sand miles  an  hour),  hangs  back, and  becomes  swelled  above  the 
level  near  the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  finds  its  escape  by  a  con- 
stant flow  to  the  northwest,  between  the  continent  and  the  Carib- 
bee  Islands,  until  at  last  it  meets  a  final  barrier  in  the  Bay  of 
Mexico.  Now  examine  the  globe  again,  and  you  will  perceive 
that  the  opening  between  Cuba,  the  Bahama  Islands  and  the 
coast  of  Florida  affords  the  only  outlet  for  the  surplus  waters ; 
through  this  passage  they  rush  with  such  a  velocity  that  the 
impetus  acquired  continues  till  having  passed  the  eastern  projec- 
tion of  North  America,  they  spread  and  become  equalized.  The 
water  I  am  now  sailing  in  has  but  recently  left  the  Bay  of  Mex- 
ico, and  has  not  had  time  enough  to  get  cooled  off. 

But  after  sailing  about  seventy-five  miles  in  this  hot  water 
we  find  the  temperature  suddenly  falling  to  60  deg.,  a  certain 
indication  that  I  had  crossed  the  stream  and  was  approaching 
the  land.  On  the  28th  water  at  50  deg.  Began  to  fall  in  with 
coasting  vessels  by  the  hundred. 

On  the  29th  struck  soundings  in  fifty  fathoms  on  the  coast 
of  New  Jersey;  at  8  p.  m.  steered  northwest  during  the  night, 
and  at  daylight  one  of  the  sylph-like  pilot  boats  of  New  York 
ran  under  our  lee  and  inquired  if  I  wanted  a  pilot.  "Of  course 
I  do,"  said  I.  "Why,  it  ain't  the  old  man  after  all,"  I  heard  him 
say  to  the  boatkeeper.  When  he  came  on  board  he  said  I  re- 
sembled his  father,  who  is  also  a  pilot,  so  much ;  that  when  he 
first  looked  at  me  with  his  glass  he  thought  that  I  was  his  own 
father  had  got  the  start  of  him. 

It  came  on  foggy  before  we  could  get  in,  and  we  came  to 
anchor  outside  of  Sandy  Hook,  where  we  lay  till  the  1st  of  No- 
vember, when  we  hove  up  the  anchor  and  beat  up  the  beautiful 
bay  of  New  York.  Certainly  it  seemed  to  me  the  most  splendid 
sheet  of  water  on  earth. 

About  five  miles  short  of  the  city  the  tide  turned  to  run  ebb, 


NATIVE  LAND  219 

and  impatient  of  the  delay  of  beating,  I  called  a  steam  tug  along- 
side, and  at  3  p.  m.  she  laid  the  barque  alongside  a  pier  in  the 
East  River,  whereupon  I  unbent  the  sails,  cleared  up  decks,  and 
discharged  all  hands. 

Several  times  during  my  cruise  around  the  world  I  have 
come  within  an  ace  of  a  fortune,  and  now  I  learn  of  another 
great  mis-  fortune. 

I  found  my  friend  Mr.  Plummer  in  New  York.  From  him 
I  learned  that  soon  after  I  left  San  Francisco  the  market  ran 
short  of  rice.  The  great  number  of  Chinamen  there  had  eaten 
themselves  out  of  their  staple  fodder,  and  rice  rose  to  thirty 
cents  a  pound.  He  despatched  several  letters  by  clipper  ships 
in  the  hope  of  catching  me  in  Singapore  or  China,  with  instruc- 
tions to  purchase  a  cargo  of  rice  and  return  to  San  Francisco. 
I  could  have  laid  in  a  cargo  at  Manila  at  one  cent  a  pound.  But 
none  of  the  letters  ever  came  to  hand !  The  Arco  Iris  would 
easily  carry  three  hundred  tons,  and  I  annex  an  estimate  of  what 
would  have  been  the  result: 

300  tons  of  rice  at  $20 $    6,000 

Commissions,  insurance  and  exchange  10  per  cent 600 

$    6,600 

Sales  of  300  tons  at  25  cents  per  pound ,.  .$150,000 

Charges  at  San  Francisco  10  per  cent 15,000 

$135,000 
Invoice  and  charges 6,600 

Net  profit    $128,400 

One-half  to  Messrs.  Plummer  &  Crosby $  64,200 

One-half  to  George  Coffin 64,200 


$128,400 


And  now  here  alone  in  my  little  cabin,  at  9  p.  m.  Monday, 
November  1,  1852,  I  close  this  journal  by  saying  that  on  calling 
at  my  consignees,  Messrs.  Goodhue  &  Co.,  I  was  favoured  with 


220  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

letters  from  home,  conveying  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  my 
family  were  all  well.  My  eldest  son  had  grown  to  be  a  man, 
and  by  his  upright  and  manly  deportment  had  acquired  a  high 
standing  in  the  community.  My  daughter  is  a  young  lady  of 
whom  any  father  might  well  feel  proud,  and  my  younger  chil- 
dren bid  fair  to  emulate  their  elders.  For  these  blessings  I  am 
mainly  indebted  to  their  inestimable  mother,  under  whose  care 
they  have  grown  and  are  fast  growing  to  maturity. 

Father  in  Heaven,  accept  my  praise, 
And  in  Thy  mercy  hear  my  prayer 
Now  offered  up  through  Thy  dear  son: 
What  good  or  ill  attends  my  days 
With  resignation  may  I  bear, 
And  say,  Thy  holy  will  be  done! 


ADDENDA. 

I  devote  the  remaining  pages  of  this  book  to  copying  some 
of  my  contributions  to  "The  Emigrant." 

PATIENCE. 

We  can  all  of  us  preach  patience  to  others,  but  to  practice 
this  virtue  ourselves  is  quite  another  and  far  more  difficult 
matter,  as  was  elucidated  in  the  case  of  a  Scotch  divine,  who, 
having  received  a  plentiful  crop  of  tithes  during  the  week,  was 
observed  to  be  remarkably  complacent  on  the  ensuing  Sabbath. 
He  took  his  text  from  the  book  of  Job,  strongly  encouraging 
his  hearers  to  be  patient  under  all  their  trials,  and  declaring  that 
for  the  future  he  was  determined  to  be  resigned  and  submit 
patiently,  let  what  might  befall  him,  citing  the  patriarch  Job 
as  the  personification  of  patience. 

His  wife,  good  woman,  had  prepared  an  extraordinary  din- 
ner for  the  occasion,  and  for  once  he  did  not  find  fault  with  the 
roasting  of  the  joint  or  the  flavour  of  the  pudding.  She  praised 
his  discourse.  "Why,  yes,"  said  he,  "I  think  I  have  given  the 
boors  a  good  dose  this  time  and  I  hope  they  will  profit  by  it, 
but,  my  dear,  would  not  this  be  a  good  time  to  broach   No. 

149?" 

Overjoyed  to  see  him  in  such  good  humour,  she  seized  a  can 
and  flew  to  the  cellar,  but  soon  came  back,  looking  disconsolate 
and  wretched.  "What,  what's  the  matter?"  said  the  good  man. 
"Oh!  such  a  sad  event  has  happened,"  she  replied.  "Tell  me, 
my  dear,  what  is  it,  has  anything  happened  to  any  of  my  parish- 
ioners? If  so,  I  hope  they  will  remember  my  sermon  and  be 
patient;  for  my  part,  if  it  relates  to  me,  I  am  resolved  to  bear 
it  with  Christian  resignation.  But,  my  dear,  where  is  the  beer 
all  this  while?"  "That's  just  it,"  said  the  wife  with  fearful  ap- 
prehension, "the  barrel  is  bursted  and  the  contents  are  all  about 
the  cellar."  The  parson  fretted,  raved  and  swore,  his  poor  wife 
endeavoring  to  console  him,  bidding  him  remember  his  sermon, 

.  .221 


222  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

and  think  of  the  patience  of  Job.    "Job!   Job!  don't  talk  to  me 
about  Job,  ye  hussie.    Job  never  had  a  barrel  of  such  beer." 


THE  BITER  BIT;   OR,  DOVER  JACK  AND  THE  JEW. 

Jack  Bobstay  was  a  jolly  tar, 

Just  home  returned  from  out  the  war, 

With  pockets  full  of  money, 
And  off  to  London  he  did  stroll, 
And  took  with  him  his  faithful  Poll, — 

She  was  as  sweet  as  honey. 

Now  Jack,  he  had  an  eye  ahead, 

He  knew  his  purse,  though  now  well  fed, 

Would  dwindle  in  the  city. 
So  as  along  the  road  he  went, 
He  hit  on  this  experiment, 

Which  shows  that  he  was  witty. 

At  every  tavern  where  they  stayed 
To  eat  and  drink  or  sleep,  he  paid 

The  landlord's  fare  twice  over, 
It  being  first  well  understood 
That  when  returning  on  that  road, 

As  he  came  back  to  Dover, 

He  should  not  pay  again,  but  twirl 
His  hat  upon  his  stick,  and  curl 

His  finger  in  his  hair,  sir, 
At  which  Sir  Boniface  might  know 
His  customer  and  let  him  go 

Quite  free  of  further  fare,  sir. 

Arrived  in  town,  a  crafty  Jew 
Espied  our  hero ;  well  he  knew 

He  was  an  unplucked  sailor. 
So  quick  he  brought  him  to  his  shop, 
Where  clothes  and  trinkets  he  did  slop, 

He  was  a  peddling  tailor. 


CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  "THE  EMIGRANT"      223 

Jack  wanted  this,  Poll  wanted  that; 
The  Jew  he  was  a  wily  brat, 

And  quick  he  filched  their  siller, 
Which  soon  convinced  our  hero  Jack 
'Twas  time  for  him  to  make  sail  back, 

Up  helm  and  mind  his  tiller. 

Now  Jew  he  thought  that  he  had  more 
Of  his  hard  earnings  laid  in  store, 

His  fingers  now  were  greasy ; 
He  had  found  Jack  so  very  free 
In  spending  gold  he'd  no  idea 

To  let  him  off  so  easy, 

So  took  a  seat  in  the  same  coach, 
And  soon  the  crafty  dog  did  broach 

The  subject  of  Jack's  pension. 
"Why,  yes,"  quoth  Jack,  "I  have  a  claim 
Upon  the  Government  to  name 

But  'tis  hardly  worth  the  mention." 

At  the  first  tavern  where  they  dined, 
Jew  paid  his  fare,  surprised  to  find 

Jack  did  not  pay  a  "prog,"  sir, 
But  twirled  his  hat  upon  his  stick, 
At  which  the  landlord  answered  quick, 

"All  right,  my  jolly  dog,  sir." 

When  supper  came  Jack  twirled  his  hat. 
The  Jew,  still  more  amazed,  thought,  "What 

The  devil's  in  this  fellow? 
About  that  stick  must  be  some  charm. 
To  smoke  it  out  can  be  no  harm, 

I'll  smoke  him  till  he's  yellow." 

"Dear  sir,"  said  he,  "pray  tell  me  how, 
While  I  pay  cash,  it  is  that  you 

Do  never  pay  a  stiver, 
But  round  about  your  walking  stick 
You  twirl  your  hat,  a  clever  trick, 

Which  I  should  like  to  cipher." 


224  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

Jack  thought  a  moment  ere  he  spoke, 
"By  the  mast,  'twould  be  a  cunning  joke 

To  shave  this  Jewish  shaver. 
Egad!   I'll  do  it,  so  here  she  goes — 
Dear  sir,"  said  he,  "there's  no  one  knows 

The  value  of  my  staver. 

"Whene'er  I  twirl,  as  you  have  seen, 
My  hat  upon  that  staff  so  keen, 

My  wants  are  all  supplied,  sir. 
'Twas  given  me  by  Fiji's  king, 
Whate'er  I  want  'twill  surely  bring 

Directly  to  my  side,  sir." 

Jew  seized  at  once  the  gilded  bait, 
To  own  that  stick  he  scarce  could  wait 

To  drive  a  Jewish  trade,  sir, 
So  offered  Jack  a  hundred  pounds, 
Was  quite  astonished  when  he  found 

Jack  spurned  his  offer  made,  sir. 

"A  hundred  pound !  You  stingy  Jew, 
D'ye  think  I'm  such  a  simpleton  that  you 

Should  get  my  charm  for  nothing? 
No!  higgle  not,  you  stupid  dunce, 
But  say  a  thousand  pound  at  once, 

Or  stop  your  Jewish  mouthing." 

Jew  paid  Jack  down  his  thousand  pound 
And  took  the  staff.    But  soon  he  found 

He'd  caught  a  real  live  tartar. 
Upon  the  stick  he  placed  his  hat, 
First  twirled  it  this  way,  twirled  it  that, 

Exciting  naught  but  laughter. 

He  bought  a  coach,  and  twirled  his  hat, 
At  which  the  man  who  sold  cried,  "What 

The  devil  do  you  mean,  sir?" 
"Why,  that's  the  pay,"  quoth  anxious  Jew; 
"The  pay,  you  simpleton?  do  you 

Think  I'm  so  very  green,  sir?" 


CONTRIBUTIONS   TO  "THE  EMIGRANT"       225 

Jew  found  the  stick  had  lost  its  charm, 
At  which  he  grew  exceeding  warm 

With  Israelitish  passion. 
He  swore  by  Moses  and  old  Nick 
Upon  Jack's  pate  he'd  break  that  stick, 

To  cheat  him  in  that  fashion. 

So  straight  to  Jack  he  posted  off. 
"You've  sheated  me  mid  your  tarn  staff, 

Come,  give  me  back  my  monish." 
Jack  placed  his  thumb  upon  his  nose, 
And  straight  his  fingers  out  he  throws, 

Saying,  "No,  you  don't,  my  honish. 

"You  barefaced,  swindling,  paltry  Jew, 
Whate'er  I  told  you  is  most  true, 

There's  virtue  in  that  wand,  sir; 
But  though  such  charm  it  doth  possess, 
There's  one  thing  more  I  must  confess, 

'Twill  only  suit  my  hand,  sir. 

"Besides  you  shark-toothed  Israelite, 
You  thought  at  me  you'd  have  a  bite, 

You  have  but  little  wit,  sir. 
When  stick  you  bought,  you  silly  brat, 
You  also  should  have  bought  my  hat. 

You  are  'The  Biter  bit,'  sir." 

I  came  across  the  substance  of  the  foregoing  in  an  old  story 
book,  and  turned  it  into  rhyme  for  the  amusement  of  my  un- 
easy passengers. 


PRECISION. 

Precision  is  an  excellent  quality,  when  it  is  not  too  pre- 
cise, but  extremes  in  all  things  are  unnatural,  and  should  be 
carefully  avoided. 

Perhaps  of  all  classes  of  men  our  nautical  friends  are  the 
most  precise;   their  profession  requires  that  they  should  be  nice 


226  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

in  their  observations  and  exact  in  their  calculations,  working  out 
their  problems  with  much  precision,  but  I  do  not  see  the  use 
of  their  descending  to  the  fractional  parts  of  a  mile  or  seconds 
in  fixing  their  position  at  sea.  I  have  often  seen  in  newspapers 
and  magazines  a  shipmaster's  report  of  some  new  discovery,  in 
which  he  has  thought  it  important  to  be  particular  as  to  the 
seconds,  and  sometimes  even  to  the  thirds  or  tenths  of  a  sec- 
ond, in  its  position  in  latitude  and  longitude.  Now  this  I  con- 
sider being  a  little  too  precise,  and  smacks  strongly  of  pedantry. 
For  instance,  suppose  we  should  fall  in  with  some  hitherto  un- 
discovered reef  or  island,  and  our  captain,  in  reporting  his  dis- 
covery, should  place  it  in  latitude  25  °  51'  27"  and  longitude 
1130  32'  49",  would  any  other  navigator  who  might  chance  to 
fall  in  with  it  agree  as  to  the  number  of  seconds  or  would  our 
captain  himself,  on  another  occasion,  be  able  to  fix  it  exactly  in 
the  same  position?  I  fancy  not.  The  subject  reminds  me  of 
an  anecdote  that  once  took  place  in  my  own  experience. 

Passing  along  Duke  street  in  Liverpool,  in  company  with 
a  nautical  friend,  we  came  across  a  porter  house,  and  stepped  in 
for  a  draft  of  old  England's  choicest  beverage.  We  happened 
to  fall  in  with  a  party  of  English  shipmasters  of  our  acquaint- 
ance, who  very  cordially  invited  us  to  partake  of  their  good 
cheer.  The  conversation  fell  upon  the  perfection  of  nautical 
instruments,  and  the  precision  of  nautical  calculations.  One  gen- 
tleman boasted  that  his  chronometer  performed  so  accurately 
that  he  would  venture  to  run  by  her  to  a  quarter  of  a  mile  on 
any  coast,  and  in  any  weather.  I  looked  at  my  friend  and 
thought  he  was  going  to  say,  "Thank  fortune  I  am  not  your 
underwriter."  Another  gentleman  said  he  had  a  pocket  watch 
that  was  perfection  itself.  He  once  set  her  by  the  astronomical 
clock  at  the  Greenwich  observatory,  made  a  voyage  to  Australia 
and  round  the  world,  and  on  his  return,  on  comparing  her  with 
the  same  timekeeper,  he  found  she  had  gained  "not  quite  a 
quarter  of  a  second."  I  looked  again  at  my  friend  and  fancied 
his  mouth  was  puckered  up,  as  all  other  mouths  are,  when  their 
owners  are  about  to  say,  "Fudge."  A  third  gentleman  said  that 
"only  let  him  see  the  sun  and  moon  or  the  moon  and  stars  and 
he  cared  not  a  fig  for  all  their  timepieces,  for  he  could  take  and 


CONTRIBUTIONS   TO  "THE  EMIGRANT"       227 

work  a  lunar  observation  that  should  place  him  within  ten  rods 
of  his  true  position." 

"Very  precise,"  said  my  friend,  "but  I  can  beat  even  that. 
I  was  once  lying  entirely  becalmed  in  the  North  Atlantic.  My 
ship's  length  lay  due  east  and  west;  the  sun  and  moon  were 
at  a  convenient  distance,  and  I  placed  myself  at  the  knightheads, 
and  took  a  set  of  distances.  I  then  went  aft,  and  at  the  sternpost 
I  took  another  set ;  on  working  them  out  the  first  set  placed  me 
in  longitude  45 °  23'  17 "4,  and  the  second  set  made  the  longi- 
tude 450  23'  i8".9.  Reducing  the  difference  to  feet  and  inches, 
I  found  it  to  be  135  feet  9!  inches,  and  referring  to  my  ship's 
register,  this  proved  to  be  her  exact  length." 

The  chronometer  man  retired,  he  of  the  pocket  watch  ab- 
squatulated, the  exact  lunarian  had  some  urgent  business  to  at- 
tend to  on  board  his  ship,  and  my  friend  and  I  enjoyed  a  hearty 
laugh  over  our  mugs. 


ANECDOTES. 

A  jolly  sailor,  having  saved  enough  of  his  hard  earnings, 
bought  a  cottage  and  garden  in  the  country,  and  retired  from 
the  sea  to  enjoy  it.  But  he  was  much  annoyed  by  a  yelping  cur 
belonging  to  one  of  his  neighbours;  as  often  as  he  drove  him 
away  he  was  sure  to  be  soon  back.  At  last  Jack  caught  him 
and  chopped  off  his  tail.  Some  days  after  an  acquaintance, 
passing  by,  asked  him  if  the  dog  continued  to  annoy  him.  "Faith 
no,"  says  Jack,  "he  hasn't  been  here  for  a  week,  for  the  last 
time  he  was  here  I  cut  his  rudder  away,  and  blow  me  if  I  think 
he'll  find  his  way  here  any  more,  now  he's  got  nothing  to  steer 
with." 


A  lady  who  of  this  world's  wealth  was  rife, 

Had  with  a  crabbed  husband  passed  her  life. 

A  maid  she  had,  and  this  maid  had  a  beau, 

And  asked  her  lady  mistress  if  she  would  let  her  go. 


228  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

Her  mistress  told  her  plainly,  that  rather  than  to  marry, 

She'd  better  leap  the  falls  of  fearful  Niagara. 

The  maid  replied  at  once,  "I'd  leap  the  falls,  odds  rot  'em, 

As  sure  as  I'm  alive,  and  never  mind  a  jot  'em, 

If  I  thought  I'd  find  below  there  a  husband  at  the  bottom." 


Sailors  on  shore  have  generally  a  passion  for  horses,  but  a 
sailor  on  horseback  is  like  a  deacon  in  a  ball-room.  Jack  Ratline 
had  just  been  paid  off  in  London,  after  a  long  voyage,  and  stroll- 
ing along  the  Strand  he  fell  in  with  an  empty  omnibus  standing 
waiting  for  customers.  So  feeling  an  inclination  for  a  ride,  he 
bargained  with  the  driver  for  his  coach,  paying  for  all  the  seats 
on  condition  that  the  coachman  should  drive  on  without  waiting 
for  any  more  passengers.  Jack  took  his  place  on  the  top  of  the 
omnibus.  Just  as  the  driver  mounted  his  box  a  party  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen  came  along,  going  the  same  route.  One  of  the 
gentlemen  threw  open  the  door  and  was  about  to  help  the  ladies 
in  when  the  driver  forbade  it,  saying  that  his  seats  were  all  en- 
gaged. "How  can  you  say  that,  you  son  of  a  whip,  when  there 
is  no  one  in  the  coach?"  Jack,  hearing  the  altercation,  looked 
over  the  railing  and  inquired  what  all  the  row  was  about.  On 
learning  the  state  of  the  case,  he  exclaimed,  "D —  it,  coachee,  if 
that's  all  you  may  stow  away  the  landlubbers  down  in  the  hold 
there,  but  blow  me  if  a  soul  of  'em  shall  come  on  deck  here." 
As  the  coach  was  driving  along  Jack  kept  continually  giving  his 
driver  his  orders.  "Port  your  helm,"  "pull  on  the  starboard 
fore  brace,"  "set  up  the  mizzen  backstay,"  "ease  her  when  she 
pitches,"  much  to  the  amusement  of  the  passers-by. 

At  the  end  of  the  route  Jack  descended  from  his  airy  posi- 
tion, and  then  took  a  fancy  to  a  ride  on  horseback.  When  the 
horse  was  brought  out  Jack,  full  of  frolic,  sprang  into  the  saddle 
stern  foremost,  that  is,  with  his  face  towards  the  horse's  tail. 
At  this  the  bystanders  set  up  a  great  shout.  Jack  sat  looking 
marlin  spikes  and  capstan  bars  at  them  till  they  were  tired  jeer- 
ing at  him,  and  then  exclaimed,  "What  the  h —  are  you  laughing 
at,  ye  pack  of  loblolly  boys?  How  the  d —  do  you  know  which 
way  I  am  bound?" 


CONTRIBUTIONS   TO  "THE  EMIGRANT"       229 

Admiral  Campbell,  for  some  special  act  of  bravery,  was  to 
be  knighted.  When  a  courtier  appeared  with  a  summons  for 
him  to  appear  in  the  king's  presence  to  receive  his  ribbon  or 
garter  he  was  very  much  averse  to  the  matter,  and  begged  to  be 
excused,  as  he  said  he  had  no  taste  for  knighthood.  The  cour- 
tier, thinking  to  overcome  his  scruples,  replied,  "But,  sir,  per- 
haps Mrs.  Campbell  would  like  it."  "Then  let  the  king  knight 
her,"  was  the  brave  seaman's  blunt  reply. 


Lord  Nelson  once  ordered  the  commander  of  a  frigate  to 
attack  a  certain  position  in  Spain.  The  captain  ventured  to 
remonstrate,  saying  that  he  considered  the  post  unattackable. 

"Sir,"  said  the  hero  of  Trafalgar,  "I  do  not  understand  you, 
that  word  is  not  English." 


PADDY'S  FIRST  CRUISE  AT  SEA. 

A  raw  son  of  Erin,  happening  to  be  in  London,  was  seized 
by  a  press  gang  and  hurried  on  board  a  frigate  just  ready  for 
sea.  When  the  new  recruits  were  mustered  to  be  stationed,  and 
it  came  Paddy's  turn  to  be  examined  he  was  asked  what  his 
name  was.  "And  it's  me  own  name  ye'd  be  afther  getting,  is 
it?"  said  Pat,  "faith  then  ye'll  be  puzzled  to  get  it,  for  Mike 
Sullivan  don't  tell  his  name  to  every  spalpeen  that  asks  for  it." 

At  this  one  of  the  lieutenants  struck  him  with  his  sword. 
Mike  seized  the  gentlemanly  swab  by  the  shoulders  and  raising 
him  above  his  head  he  whirled  him  round  like  his  own  threshing 
flail.  At  this  the  mariners  surrounded  him  with  fixed  bayonets. 
"Arrah  now,  my  hinnies,  stand  back,  or  by  Jasus  I'll  spit  the 
varmint  on  your  skewers."  Paddy  then  set  him  down  on  deck 
and  applying  his  brogan  sent  him  sprawling  on  deck,  saying, 
"Get  out  of  that,  ye  divil's  skin." 

Mike  was  court-martialed  and  sentenced  to  receive  a  dozen 
lashes  at  the  gangway.  "Faith,"  says  Mike,  "but  I've  not  taste 
for  it  anyhow,  but  if  yer  Honer  says  so  I  suppose  it's  as  good 
as  done."  He  took  his  punishment  without  flinching,  only  ex- 
claiming when  it  was  over,  "Och,  by  the  Powers." 


23o  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

He  was  then  turned  among  the  waisters,  and  one  day  he 
was  set  to  hauling  in  a  long  line  that  had  been  towing  over- 
board to  take  out  the  kinks.  He  hauled  away  for  some  time, 
muttering,  "By  Jasus,  but  it's  as  long  as  to-day  and  to-morrow." 
Still  he  kept  pulling  away,  saying,  "Bad  luck  to  the  arm  or  the 
leg  it  will  lave  me  at  all,  at  all."  Still  he  hauled  away  for 
some  time  longer,  when  he  stopped,  and  looking  up  to  the  officer 
of  the  deck  he  exclaimed,  "Plaze,  yer  Honer,  but  I'm  blowed  if 
I  don't  think  some  spalpeen  of  a  shark  has  snapped  off  the  ither 
eend  on't,  sure." 


DOUSE  THE  GLIM. 

Lieutenant  Martingale  was  a  college  educated  gentleman,  and 
had  come  forth  from  his  "Alma  Mater"  a  pedant,  and  he  carried 
his  pedantry  into  his  every-day  matters.  Whenever  he  had  oc- 
casion to  give  any  orders  on  board  ship,  it  was  always  in  high- 
flown  language.  If  he  sent  any  seaman  forward,  instead  of  the 
laconic  "Lay  fo'ard  there,  lads,"  it  would  be  "Betake  yourselves 
to  the  anterior" ;  or  if  he  ordered  a  man  aloft  he  would  tell 
him  to  "ascend  to  the  superior  elevation"  instead  of  the  common 
order,  "lay  aloft  there,  my  man." 

On  board  of  men-of-war  ships  it  is  customary  to  carry  lan- 
terns in  the  roundtops,  and  half  a  dozen  seamen  are  stationed 
there,  under  the  command  of  an  able  seaman  who  is  called 
captain  of  the  top.  One  night  when  Lieutenant  Martingale  had 
charge  of  the  deck  and  Bob  Spunyarn  was  captain  of  the  main- 
top, Pedantic  wished  to  have  the  top  light  darkened,  so  he  hailed, 
"Main  top  there."  "Aye,  aye,"  said  Bob.  "Extinguish  that  noc- 
turnal luminary."  Bob  blustered  about  the  top,  pulling  first  one 
rope  then  another,  when  the  lieutenant  repeated  his  order,  "Ex- 
tinguish that  nocturnal  luminary,  I  say."  "Don't  know  what 
rope  you  mean,  sir,"  replied  Bob.  At  last  the  boatswain  asked 
the  lieutenant  to  let  him  give  the  order.  "Main  top  there."  "Aye 
aye,  sir."  "Douse  the  glim  there,  you  lubber."  In  an  instant 
the  light  was  extinguished,  Bob  muttering  to  his  topmates, 
"Blast  his  highflown  lingo,  does  he  think  we  understand  Greek 
up  here?    Why  can't  he  give  his  orders  in  plain  English?" 


CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  "THE  EMIGRANT"       231 

SQUIRE  JUDKINS  IN  THE  LEGISLATURE. 

Joel  Judkins  was  a  merchant  in  one  of  the  eastern  towns  in 
Maine;  that  is,  he  kept  store  in  a  place  famous  for  its  fishing 
facilities  and  privileges,  and  sold  silks,  satins  and  salt,  muslin 
and  molasses,  ribbons,  rice  and  rope,  hardware  and  honey,  pins, 
needles,  oars  and  handspikes  in  exchange  for  herrings,  hay  and 
potatoes,  etc.,  etc. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  "General  Court,"  when  the  code  of  laws 
was  to  be  revised,  and,  among  others,  the  laws  relating  to  the 
herring  fishery,  Joel  was  chosen  to  represent  his  town  in  that 
important  matter.  On  arriving  in  Portland  he  put  up  at  the 
Elm  House,  where  he  found  a  number  of  the  country  members 
had  preceded  him.  They  gathered  around  him,  looking  over  his 
shoulders  as  he  wrote  in  the  register  "Joel  Judkins,  Esquire, 
member  from  Mount  Desert,"  then  turning  to  them  and  shaking 
hands,  he  said,  "Come,  as  I  am  the  last  comer,  I  'spose  it's  my 
treat,  what'll  ye  take,  whiskey,  gin  or  blackstrap?  Landlord, 
put  it  down  to  Mount  Desert." 

Now  Joel  was  much  given  to  drowsiness,  and  had  acquired 
the  Spanish  custom  of  taking  a  siesta.  At  an  afternoon  session, 
when  the  law  relating  to  the  fisheries  was  expected  to  be  brought 
up,  feeling  an  irresistible  inclination  to  doze,  he  requested  the 
gentleman  who  occupied  the  next  seat  to  wake  him  when  that 
matter  came  up,  and  laying  his  head  on  his  desk  he  was  soon 
lost  in  profound  slumber.  It  happened  that  the  law  about  sheep- 
stealing  was  first  taken  up,  and  at  a  pause  in  the  debate  Joel's 
neighbour  touched  him,  saying,  "Come,  now  is  your  time."  Up 
jumped  Joel,  exclaiming,  "Mr.  Speaker!  "Mr.  Judkins,"  nodded 
the  Speaker.  Joel  having  secured  the  floor,  took  time  to  arrange 
his  notes,  rub  his  eyes  and  arrange  his  spectacles,  then  having 
taken  an  intellectual  sip  of  water,  he  commenced  his  maiden 
speech:  "Mr.  Speaker,  I  wish  to  have  something  to  say  upon 
this  subject,  for  it  is  one  on  which  I  feel  myself  able  to  throw 
some  light.  The  people  of  my  town  have  sent  me  here  to  look 
after  their  interests  in  this  particular  matter,  and  they  will  ex- 
pect me  to  speak  out  plainly,  and,  sir,  I  shall  do  so  without  fear 
or  favour,  for  I  feel  that  it  most  deeply  concerns  my  constitu- 


232  A    PIONEER   VOYAGE 

ents.  In  fact,  sir,  there's  one-half  of  them  get  their  living  by  it." 
The  outburst  of  laughter  that  greeted  this  opening  was  only 
equalled  by  Joel's  confusion,  when  he  found  out  the  mistake  he 
had  made. 


The  Rev.  Charles  Milton  was  a  very  sincere  good  man,  but 
a  very  eccentric  genius.  He  was  of  the  old  school,  orthodox, 
Congregational,  election  and  damnation,  hell-fire  and  brimstone, 
God-instructing  order,  and  was  a  particular  personal  enemy  to 
the  Devil.  He  fought  the  Devil  on  all  tacks  and  his  pulpit  was 
frequently  the  arena  of  a  fierce  conflict  with  his  Satanic  Majesty. 
It  was  a  favorite  expression  with  him,  "I'll  preach  the  truth, 
the  whole  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth,"  and  on  one  occa- 
sion he  added,  "I  would  preach  the  truth  to  you  if  there  were 
as  many  Devils  in  the  meeting  house  as  there  are  shingles  on 
the  roof  of  it." 

At  another  time  he  declared  that  it  was  his  object  to  destroy 
the  Devil  and  his  works,  and  "My  brethren,"  he  added,  "if  you 
ask  me  how  I  will  destroy  the  Devil,  I  reply  I  will  shoot  him; 
and  if  you  ask  what  weapon  I  will  use,  I  answer  I  will  shoot  him 
with  this  Bible."  Suiting  the  action  to  the  speech,  he  raised 
the  pulpit  Bible  and  holding  it  at  arm's  length  he  brought  it 
down  with  emphasis  upon  the  cushion,  but  shot  too  far,  and 

down  came  the  sacred  weapon  upon  the  head  of  Deacon  C , 

who  sat  demurely  in  the  box  beneath,  just  raised  sufficiently  to 
overlook  the  whole  congregation.  Then  looking  over  the  desk, 
the  facetious  parson  asked,  "Well,  Deacon,  was  it  a  good  shot?" 

He  had  a  clear  full  voice  which  rang  out  through  the  seven- 
teen heads  of  his  discourse,  each  head  subdivided  into  half  a 
dozen  tails. 

As  the  good  minister  advanced  in  years  his  memory  began 
to  fail,  and  his  parish,  much  against  his  wishes,  settled  an  as- 
sistant called  a  Colleague,  but  the  fiery  parson  was  not  disposed 
to  give  in,  till  one  Sunday  afternoon,  in  conducting  the  services, 
he  read  the  preliminary  hymn  and  uttered  his  usual  prayer,  and 
then  bestowed  his  blessing  in  benediction  and  was  about  to  dis- 
miss the  meeting  when  the  Colleague  reminded  him  that  he  had 
not  preached  his  sermon. 


CONTRIBUTIONS   TO  "THE  EMIGRANT"       233 

Mr.  Milton  had  two  daughters;  the  eldest  was  married  to  a 
Mr.  Brown,  who  deserted  her,  and  the  father  was  obliged  to 
take  her  home.  As  the  second  daughter  became  of  age  her 
affections  were  sought  by  another  man  of  the  same  name,  and 
she  asked  her  father's  permission  for  her  friend  to  visit  her. 
"What's  his  name?"  he  inquired.  "It  is  Brown,  sir."  "Brown! 
No  more  of  your  Browns.  I've  been  done  brown  once,  and  that 
will  do  for  one  family.  No,  give  me  green  or  white  or  gray, 
but  no  more  of  your  browns,  or  even  black." 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  WAR. 

When  General  Scott,  with  valour  hot, 

Bore  down  on  Vera  Cruz — O, 
Those  Mexicans  grim,  they  thought  with  him 

They'd  play  the  very  deuce — O. 

But  soon  they  found,  when  he  broke  ground, 

Before  their  walled  city, 
The  direful  day  was  come  when  they 

Must  sing  another  ditty. 

For  shot  and  shell,  where'er  they  fell, 
Discharged  from  gun  or  mortar, 

Within  that  town  came  rattling  down 
And  caused  terrific  slaughter. 

And  then  the  Dons,  they  saw  at  once 

The  times  were  full  of  evil. 
Full  soon  they  thought  that  General  Scott 

He  was  the  very  devil. 

Down  came  their  pride,  aloud  they  cried 

To  spare  their  doomed  city. 
Our  hero  brave  kind  answer  gave, 

His  great  heart  ope  to  pity. 


234  A    PIONEER    VOYAGE 

But  Gen'ral  Scott  he  tarried  not, 
For  he  must  plenty  more  do, 

Straight  on  he  went,  with  full  intent 
To  look  at  "Cerro  Gordo." 

Through  chaparral — o'er  national, 

He  came  on  Santa  Ana, 
Who  boasted  naught  cared  he  for  Scott, 

With  his  damned  Yankee  banner. 

Vain,  foolish  boast!    Scott's  valiant  host 
Soon  taught  him  of  his  error, 

And  'twas  right  quick  that  he  cut  stick 
And  ran  away  in  terror. 

That  battle  gained,  Scott  entertained 

A  longing  for  Jalapa, 
That  beauteous  town  in  turn  fell  down 

Before  our  gallant  trooper. 

Pueblo's  plains  our  hero  gains 
With  scarce  an  hour's  resistance, 

Pushed  boldly  on  and  drove  the  Don 
Before  him  in  the  distance. 

On,  on,  with  speed,  both  man  and  steed, 

That  valiant  little  quota, 
Nor  stopped  till  they  in  ruins  lay 

The  castle  of  Perota. 

Chepultapec!  Now  neck  and  neck 
Those  heroes  led  by  Pillow 

Rushed  boldly  in,  resolved  to  win, 
'Twas  a  mere  bagatelle — O. 

At  length  he  sate  before  the  gate 

Of  Montezuma's  city, 
Planned  his  attack,  took  all  aback 

Those  Mexicans  so  witty. 


CONTRIBUTIONS   TO   "THE  EMIGRANT"       235 

For  foolish  Don  thought  he'd  come  on 

In  front  of  little  Penon ; 
They  little  dreamt  that  he'd  attempt 

Another  route  to  lean  on. 

But  soon  they  found  him  marching  round 

The  lake  towards  Churubusco, 
Molino  Rey  and  Tacubay, 

They  fell  before  'twas  dusk — O. 

Now  Mexico,  three  miles  or  so 

Ahead,  looked  so  inviting, 
They  scarce  could  wait  their  chief's  mandate, 

For  now  their  trade  was  fighting. 

Scott,  Pillow,  Worth,  all  sallied  forth 

By  valiant  troops  surrounded, 
With  battle  yell  they  drove  pell-mell 

Those  Mexicans  confounded. 

On  still  they  drove,  and  each  one  strove 

To  be  the  first  to  enter; 
O'er  aqueducts  each  chief  conducts 

His  followers  to  the  centre, 

Where  soon  they  meet,  in  the  broad  street, 

And  each  his  followers  rallies, 
'Mid  deafening  cheers  their  flag  uprears, 

Proud  floating  o'er  the  palace. 

That  rueful  day,  again  away 

Ran  boasting  Santa  Ana, 
And  e'er  nightfall  on  tower  and  wall 

Floats  the  star-spangled  banner. 

This  closed  the  war,  this  they  came  for, 

All  in  a  blaze  of  glory; 
They  "conquered  peace,"  their  battles  cease, 

And  thus  I  end  my  story. 


or 

DEC 

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